


The Space Between Us

by EndoratheWitch



Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: Aliens, Developing Relationship, F/M, IN SPACE!, Imp is a stuffed toy, Lost in space - Freeform, Robots, Space Pirates, Spaceships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:36:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21569272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndoratheWitch/pseuds/EndoratheWitch
Summary: Marianne is working alone at a scientific research facility when she receives a distress call.
Relationships: Bog King/Marianne (Strange Magic)
Comments: 38
Kudos: 72





	1. The Message

**Author's Note:**

> Writing this as a Christmas present for a friend.

Marianne hovered over a field of blue and purple flowers, her goggles shielding her eyes while the breathing mask over her nose and mouth made a soft hum with each breath she took. She wore a black environment suit that fit her like a second skin. The suit was fitted with monitors that measured her heart rate, breath and oxygen levels, and several other bodily functions while she was outside of her home. All of that vital information was being fed back to her computer and then sent off to another researcher somewhere on the planet who was doing work on the effects of this planet's atmosphere on aliens such as themselves. Marianne thought the suit was actually really comfortable and she adored the thick-soled boots. The flowers--which she had given the unscientific name of “moonflowers”--were a cascade of brilliant blues and purples that had sprung to life last night under the moonlight of the planet’s three full moons; watching them open had been absolutely breathtaking. It had been a shame that she had seen it alone. 

Marianne’s four wings were purple and black; forewings were wide, while her hindwings were long and narrow. The chill night air made her shiver in her suit, though the temperature wasn’t damaging to her wings. The dark wings looked delicate but were, in fact, strong, not easily damaged by simple things like temperature. She was just glad this planet had mostly breathable air (at least if her mask failed her, she would be fine for a couple of hours before she would be in any trouble) and wasn’t so frigid or hot that she had to wear protective gear over her wings. She hated that more than anything. It felt as if she was suffocating any time she had to have her wings covered. 

Marianne glanced down at the datapad in her hand, she had filmed the flowers opening in the moonlight and now she was taking still pictures, focusing on parts of the plants. At the same time, she quickly wrote down notes, making scientific as well as personal observations on the flowers, their location, size, and other relevant details. She had been expecting this display tonight, the first night since her arrival on this planet in which all three moons would be full. Her research and current data had predicted the phenomenon but actually experiencing it was amazing. She was glad she had been able to get out here and record it before the storm hit. Even through her breathing mask, she could smell the rain on the air. She had maybe two hours, though probably less before the storm hit and she would be completely cut off. 

The last storm had gone on for nearly two weeks before she was able to re-establish communications again, which meant she needed to get back and get these sent before she was cut off. She smiled, her wings moving slowly to keep her hovering over the beautiful plants. While this assignment was a lonely one being the only researcher on this side of the planet, moments like this made all the work and loneliness worthwhile. She couldn’t help but want to share it, though, which was why she would be sending a copy of the video to her sister at the planet’s main science station that was located just over two days away via skycar from where she was currently living and working. 

Marianne had been here for four months and almost all of that on her own. She sometimes missed having someone to talk to face-to-face--except for the occasional call to her sister and to check in with the main research center to make sure she didn’t need anything or hadn’t been eaten by some new species they had yet to discover on this planet. Marianne suspected if that did happen to her, there would be more excitement over the new species than anyone being upset that she had been turned into dinner. Marianne liked working alone, especially after the humiliation of her near marriage to Roland. That had been part of the reason she had agreed to this assignment, practically begged for it. She needed time away from the humiliation, but what she really needed was time alone, months alone to herself away from anyone who knew what Roland had done to her. Marianne needed this time to collect herself, maybe get to know herself better so that another 

Roland didn’t happen to her. As much as she wanted to lay all the blame at Roland’s feet, she had chosen him, had blinded herself to all the signs of what kind of man Roland was because she was enamored with the fact that such a good-looking man would want her. She blamed herself just as much as she blamed Roland. 

But there were times that the silence of being alone made her feel as if she were the only person on the entire planet. 

She finished taking notes and pictures and decided to head back. Predators roamed the planet’s surface and air at night. Luckily, where she was located, she hadn’t seen any yet, but that didn’t mean she needed to tempt fate by hanging around too long. Plus, if her calculations were correct, a storm would be moving in within the hour. 

Marianne spun around, her wings giving a powerful flap and she was off, speeding through the night toward her home and lab. The temporary home that Marianne had while she was assigned here was a dome-shaped building just big enough to hold a bed, a lab, and her computer and other research equipment. There were other connecting units where Marianne grew her food, some flowers, and other plants for study, another that housed extra equipment and oxygen units, another where a sturdy land rover was parked, and lastly one that housed her freshwater tanks. It was a complicated system that pulled groundwater up and purified it, but she had the basic knowledge to make any repairs. If something beyond her abilities happened to the equipment, she could call the main research station to get one of the engineers to walk her through the repair process--not that she had needed to do so. 

Marianne landed on her doorstep and punched in the code that let her walk into the sterilization and decontamination area, which was a small closet-sized space that sterilized her clothing and equipment, and any exposed parts of her body, especially her wings; not that sterilization for bacteria, viruses, or other microscopic invaders was a real problem on this planet, but all these pre-fab units came with one, so she figured she might as well use it. So far, none of the many pollens here had bothered her, but her species was well adapted to plant life--even plant life on alien planets, it seemed. 

She stripped while she was in the decontamination area until she was completely naked--another high point for living so completely alone. She could walk around naked if she wanted to, not that she did, but she liked to strip here and leave her environment suit in the contamination area. 

Once the signal sounded that she was clean, Marianne walked into the main body of her home. The lights came on when she walked in and Marianne shivered; the room was colder than she expected. 

Laying across a folding chair near the door was some clothing, a pair of dark purple skin-hugging pants, a comfortable dark purple cotton t-shirt, and a thick waist-length jacket along with a pair of thick black socks. Marianne dressed quickly, her wings shivering from the cold. Once dressed, she moved her wings a little, just enough to get some heat flowing through them before she went to check the temperature of the room with a frown. The thing was automatic, adjusting to the temperature outside, but it ran way colder than she liked. If it was up to her, she would adjust the temperature as needed, but it wasn’t up to her; the company that financed the research here had very strict policies when it came to their equipment, which meant no adjusting the temperature. 

Thank goodness for the warm clothing and large supply of blankets, Marianne thought to herself as she made her way over to her bed. Her bed was a little cot that was attached to the wall of the unit--small but serviceable. The mattress that came with it was thick and comfortable and it had large fluffy pillows along with several warm blankets. She smiled grabbing up a blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders and wings before she grabbed the fluffy white creature that rested on her pillow and smiling silently at her. 

The toy had large fuzzy ears, a long thin snout, and small eyes. It was covered in thick white fur. The little toy creature that Marianne called Imp was a childhood toy that her mother had given her just before her mother had died in an accident...The ship she had been on, working as the science officer, had exploded, killing her other and every member of the crew in a tragic accident. That accident was years ago, but Marianne still remembered it vividly. 

Marianne took Imp with her everywhere after her mother died; all through school, university, and to every single assignment. She had been made fun of over the years for having the little stuffed toy (though her father, who was teaching off-world at some space station at the moment, and her sister, who worked at the main research hub on this planet, both understood. They had never once tried to discourage from taking the toy with her.) For Marianne, having Imp was like having a piece of her mother with her. Roland had said it was childish, but the stuffed toy brought her comfort and kept her mother close to her wherever Marianne was stationed. 

Imp was particularly helpful on this assignment where Marianne didn’t talk to anyone for long stretches at a time. 

Marianne hugged the toy. “Hey Imp, how was your day?” 

There was no response--not that she expected one--but Marianne smiled, carrying her little companion with her as she headed over to grab her datapad and send the photos and video to her sister before she headed over to the tiny kitchen to prepare herself a meal. 

Tonight she made herself a vegetable stew since several of the vegetables she was growing had ripened beautifully. After fixing her dinner Marianne carried her home-cooked meal over to her computer and sat down just as she heard the first drops of rain hit the roof above her. She set the meal aside to let it cool, with Imp balanced on her lap while she passed her hand over the console’s keyboard. The computer sprang to life with a soft beep and gentle blue glow on the screen. 

The company provided her with an extensive library of films, books, music, all of it already downloaded to the computer and available at the touch of her hand. She also access to the interweb, email, everything she would need to stay in contact with the outside world if she chose to. Marianne booted up her personal email, flipped through the documents. Most of them were nothing important, though a friend from school had forwarded her some articles that she thought Marianne might find interesting. 

Marianne frowned a little, deciding to answer an email from her father later when she heard the computer emit a soft beep. 

Marianne frowned looking up at the right hand corner of her screen. The beep was translated into a bright red flashing dot that meant she had an incoming message, but from an unapproved source. Marianne looked at the flashing light with confusion. The simple AI on this computer was designed to block out spam or messages that were not from known sources; she shouldn’t be getting any messages from anyone she didn’t know. She couldn’t tell from the pulsing dot what kind of message it was, but the flashing red dot continued to blink, asking for her attention. For a moment she considered just deleting the signal, but her curiosity was peaked. Marianne pressed her lips together, staring at the red dot for a few beats before she reached out and lightly tapped the dot. 

A video popped up on her screen. It was just a little grainy, but good. 

Marianne stared on the screen at a man. He was pale, hunched over, his face was long and narrow, unshaven, his black hair was unkempt, and his blue eyes were bloodshot which made the blue stand out vividly. He was wearing some sort of simple shirt, the long sleeves of which were pushed up to his elbows. The shirt was stained with something dark and she thought it looked to have holes burned into it. She couldn’t see beyond him, only darkness, and the light from the computer he was using was the only light she could see showing the tired and worn looking man in harsh detail. 

“Hello?” He blinked, staring at her, and there was desperation in his gaze. 

Marianne realized the video was live. The man, a human with a slight accent, continued staring at her, his eyes pleading with her. He looked rough, as if he hadn’t slept in days, and his eyes had a slightly wild cast to him. “I need help. My ship is damaged. I was caught in an ion storm...I...it didn’t just blast the ship...it knocked the entire thing out of the fucking…” He closed his eyes. “It moved my ship...” He looked around in the darkness, confused for a moment. “I don’t know where I am and nothing is working. I got the life support mostly stable, but it’s been a constant fight. I don’t have any other power, the ship’s adrift…it’s been two weeks...I’ve tried everything I can think of…” He turned his attention back to the screen. “Fuck. I’m actually surprised anyone got this...I sent out a distress signal, but it was pretty weak…” He shook his head. “I’ve been working on the comms since the accident...” He looked straight at her, causing Marianne to shudder, accompanied by her heart skipping a beat as he looked right at her with the most soulful blue eyes she had ever seen. They were almost the exact same color as the moonflowers she had just left. His voice was soft, but it was filled with a desperate plea. “Can you help me? Please. I’m running out of supplies.” He begged her, his voice strained and low. 

Marianne frowned narrowing her eyes. “Is this a joke? Are you from one of the other research stations? We don’t have a lot of humans working with us, but I know there are at least a dozen...” 

The man stared at her, then shook his head and growled. “What? What are you talking about? My ship is the Wyvern, my name is Bog King, I’m the captain and I’m lost.” 

Marianne blinked. “Lost?” 

Bog sighed with exasperation. “Yes...I’m a salvager by trade. I was working on a contract…” He signed. “...it was supposed to be a simple job...I was hired to find this old ship, last century. It’s some sort of rare find. I was supposed to simply bring it in…” He shook his head, then gave her a lopsided smile. “I thought it was simple enough, that I didn’t need to drag my crew from their break...I guess I know what killed the crew of the derelict...why that ship was adrift, if they got hit by the same storm...” 

“Are you hurt?” Marianne asked. 

Bog shook his head. “Nah, nothing bad. I have a first aid kit.” 

Marianne put her finger up. “Hold on a minute--let me get a datapad.” 

* 

Bog watched the woman he had gotten in contact with disappear. He could see a little bit of where she was. It didn’t have the feel or look of a ship...maybe she was on a planet? Or maybe a space station? Since he had no idea where he was, and the comms unit was barely working, he had no clue where his signal might have gone. He ran a hand over his face. He was tired, so very tired. He had only slept a few hours here and there since the storm had knocked out his ship, stranding him in space to die slowly. He hadn’t given up on being rescued, not just yet, but as his food supplies were running low, the water filter had broken down, and no one had found him over the last couple of weeks, he knew the chances of him getting out of this alive were dwindling quickly. Bog had always thought he wouldn’t care about dying, that when the time came, he would welcome death. it wasn't as if he had a great deal to live for, only a handful of friends, he had never gotten married or had children--though he had wanted those things--and the only living family he had was his mother. But now that it looked like he was going to die, alone, out here in the cold of space, Bog found that he wasn’t ready. 

He didn’t want to die. 

Not that he really thought he had a choice. 

Bog was glad he at least was able to contact someone. Even if she couldn’t help him, if no one could find him, at least this woman, this angel, could maybe get a message to his mother. He could send out his last words at least, give his mother something to hold onto instead of simply vanishing from her life like his father did. 

It wasn’t much and it didn’t really bring him much comfort, but it was something. 

Bog smiled sadly. The woman he had made contact with was beautiful with large brown eyes, short brown hair, pale skin, and when she moved he thought he saw wings appear when the blanket she had draped around her shoulders slipped off. He smiled. If he was going to die out here, the last person he saw being such a beautiful woman who looked like an angel (she might even have wings) was a nice last image to take with him, something he could focus on instead of the painful demise that awaited him out here, alone, in the darkness, and cold of space. 

Bog shivered again, wrapping his arms around himself as if thinking about the cold caused the chill in the air to increase. 

A moment later, the woman reappeared with a datapad in hand. 

“All right, give me your information again.” She glanced up at him, her fingers hovering over the datapad. 

“Bog King, Captain of the Wyvern, salvage ship, serial number 031519713104. I left the shipping docks on Lithios…” Bog stopped for a moment, his eyes glancing to the side in thought, then glanced up. Marianne recognized that he was doing figures in his head. He also looked like he might be shivering a bit. He was trying not to show it, but she would swear he trembled and she could see his breath. Marianne watched his expression as he bit the side of his bottom lip in thought. He looked so pale and rough, but somehow he still looked attractive, in a disheveled way. Her heart hurt for the poor man (provided this was no prank.) She could only guess what he must be going through. 

“It would be...damn, four weeks ago now,” he murmured. 

Marianne pulled her eyes away from Bog and put in the information into a message. She wasn’t sure what else to do but to send his information on to the main research hub. They might be able to contact someone who could find him, or at least try, but when she tried to send the email nothing happened. “Damn it.” She looked up. “I can’t contact anyone. There’s this storm…” 

Bog stared at her for a moment before he began to laugh. Marianne blinked in surprise as the man on her screen broke down into a fit of giggles, his eyes beginning to water. He dropped his head down as he brought up his arms, laying his head on his hands as his entire body shook with laughter. 

“What’s wrong?” Marianne asked in clear confusion, but Bog’s laughs sounded almost like sobs until she was sure he was indeed crying. Watching the way his body shook with his weeping laughter was enough to break her heart. She waited, not knowing what to say, or what she could do to help, so she said nothing as Bog laughed/sobbed himself into silence before his breathing came under control. 

He finally looked up again and shook his head, wiping his eyes with his fingers. “I finally get in contact with someone after weeks of trying and you can’t get a message out.” He snickered and sniffed, pressing his fingers against his eyes. “Perfect, just perfect. My luck strikes again.” He sighed. “Though I suppose it doesn’t matter, I doubt anyone could find me. I don’t know where I am, the nav computer is fried, and I don’t recognize any of the star configurations here. I only know where I started…” He took a breath and chuckled again. 

Marianne frowned biting her bottom lip before she spoke. “Ah, I mean the storm might not last as long as it's supposed to, I might still be able to get your message out and you could try contacting someone else. Though I don’t understand why you can contact me, but I can’t get a message out here on the ground…” She frowned in confusion. 

Bog smiled sadly at her through the screen. “I can’t. You’re the only one I’ve been able to get through to since the ion storm. I doubt I’ll be able to establish another contact. I’m afraid you’re it and it’s probably just fooking blind luck that you got my message through the storm…” 

Marianne sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I'm sorry.” 

Bog sighed, sniffing and wiping his eyes one more time before he looked at her again and gave her a smile. “So--what’s your name?” 

Marianne frowned, but answered softly. “Marianne, I’m a researcher...a botanist actually. I’m stationed on planet XI…” 

Bog chuckled. “The planet doesn’t have a name?” 

Marianne shrugged. “Not yet, but I’ve been calling it…” She stopped, blushing. “Nevermind, it’s silly.” 

Bog leaned his elbows on the console in front of him. Marianne could now see his forearms which were slender and muscled, were scarred. There was a criss-cross of scars across them, clearly a man used to working with his hands. He looked to have a bad burn on his right forearm that was healing, but she could tell it was going to be another scar. 

He rested his chin in his hands, his long fingers against his cheeks. “Do you mind talking to me? I mean, tell me about what you do…It’s been weeks since I've talked to anyone…” 

Marianne smiled at him. “Me too...though...ah...I’m just stationed out here alone, there’s no one for hundreds of miles. The main research station is a couple of days journey away even with the vehicle I have.” 

Bog rubbed one of his eyes and smiled. She could see that his teeth were slightly crooked, the canines were a little sharp for a human. “Why? I mean, do you like it? Being alone?” 

Marianne nodded. “Yeah, actually it's nice to have so much time to myself. No one getting in my way or complaining about what or how I’m doing my work. I can walk about looking terrible and no one cares.” She giggled softly. “My ex hated that.” 

Bog made a face that made Marianne chuckle as he said. “They sound like a bampot.” 

Marianne giggled. “I don’t even know what that means, but it sounds terrible.” 

Bog gave her a serious look. “I assure you, it is terrible. So, you’re alone out there.” Bog nodded, smiling. “Well, I can understand liking the peace. Other people can be…” He searched for the word before he settled on. “Tiring. I don’t mind working alone either, lets me listen to my music, gives me time to think.” 

Marianne nodded. “Exactly.” 

Bog ran a hand through his thick hair. He rubbed the back of his neck before he asked. “I guess you’re not married, boyfriend, girlfriend? Anyone waiting for you?” 

Marianne smiled a little shyly and shook her head. “No, no boyfriend. You?” 

Bog laughed again. “Is the camera feed bad?” 

Marianne shook her head looking confused. “No, I mean the image is a little grainy, but not bad at all.” 

Bog smiled at her. “Well, just look at me, pretty much should answer the question about whether I have a wife or girlfriend.” 

Marianne still looked confused. “I don’t understand.” 

Bog shrugged placing a hand under his chin as if to highlight his face. “I’m single, no one wants to go out with this ugly mug.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “There is only one person that's gonna miss me when I don’t come home, and that’s my mother.” 

Marianne frowned at him. “That can’t be true.” 

Bog frowned. “‘Fraid it is, but that’s not stopping me from trying to get home. I want to get home.” Bog tone softened. “It would hurt my mother too much if I didn’t come back. Lost my Da out here, she doesn't deserve to lose her son too.” Bog’s eyes teared up again and he angrily wiped them away. 

Marianne felt a twist in her chest at his words and the sight of this man in tears over his mother. She ran her fingers through her hair, swallowing. “I lost my mother to a ship accident, so I understand...but I have a sister, which helps, and my father..” 

“Then you know what it’s like…” Bog said softly and Marianne nodded. 

“What’s your father and sister do?” Bog asked. 

Marianne smiled. “My sister is a researcher like me. She and her husband work at the man research center here on the planet. They both work in engineering. My father is a teacher. My mother was a science officer on a ship when she was killed.” 

Bog nodded. “So you’re all smart people.” 

Marianne laughed. “I suppose. What does your mother do?” 

Bog grinned. “She’s a mechanic, works on ships, taught me everything I know. My Da was a captain, ex-military, but he piloted a lot of settler ships before the accident.” 

Marianne tilted her head at him. “So you come from a line of smart people too?” 

Bog laughed, and it was nice to hear him laugh she realized. “My parents, maybe. I pick up things as I go.” 

Marianne quirked a brow at him. “That takes a lot of smarts. You don’t think a lot of yourself, do you, captain?” 

Bog smiled at her, once more resting his chin in his hands and pointedly ignored her question. “So what are you doing right now, or rather, what were you going to do before I interrupted?” 

Marianne smiled reaching for her bowl. “Getting ready to eat dinner and I thought I might watch a movie after I checked my mail.” 

Bog glanced at her bowl of food, bit his bottom lip. “Whatcha eating?” 

Marianne looked down at her bowl. “I made some vegetable stew from the vegetables I grow here…” She looked up to see Bog’s naked hunger. The poor man, she thought. He was starving and here she was displaying food in front of him. 

Marianne set the stew aside, not wanting to be so cruel as to eat in front of him. “Bog, how much food do you have left?” 

Bog thought for a moment, his blue eyes glancing to the side as he calculated. “If I ration even more strictly than I have…” He narrowed his eyes in thought. “I might be able to stretch it to a week maybe a week and a half with maybe two to three hundred calories each day. I think I can do that, but it’s my water that I’m getting worried about. Been working on fixing the filter so that I could…” He blushed a little and Marianne answered for him. “Use your urine. I understand about the filtration systems on ships...maybe I could help. I know a little bit probably, not as much as you, but a second pair of eyes…” 

Bog smiled at her and Marianne felt a little rush, her heart once more skipping a beat. 

“That would be great,” Bog said. 

* 

Over the next hour, Bog and Marianne worked together to fix the water filter system on his ship. They lost the feed once or twice--probably due to the storm on her end--but still, by some miracle, the feed came back each time. Between the two of them, they came up with a way using the supplies and parts Bog had with him on the ship to fix the filter. 

Bog looked exhausted when they were done, but he was smiling more. His eyes danced when he smiled, she noticed, reminding her of the way the moonlight made the petals of the moonflowers glitter. “Thank you Marianne…” he said softly. “I won’t ever be able to repay you. You probably bought me another couple of weeks.” 

“You’re welcome. I’ll keep trying to get your message out,” Marianne promised. 

Bog nodded. “Thank you...can I...talk to you again? I mean, if I can keep this connection going would you…” 

Marianne nodded. “Yes, yes you can. Same time tomorrow?” 

Bog grinned. “Yes, I hope this works again, and thank you for helping me and…” He paused. “... just talking to me. You have no idea how lonely it’s been.” He smiled shyly, but Marianne could see the dark shadows under his eyes, which made the blue glow in the dim light. “Well, good night Marianne. Glad I found you.” 

Marianne smiled back, resisting the urge to reach out and touch the screen. “Good night Bog,--t’s going to be all right.” 

“Thank you,” he said before he ended the communication. 

* 

Marianne stayed up for a few more hours after she had ended her communication with Bog, but try as she might she just couldn’t get a message out. She couldn’t even access the web. The storm had cut her off completely. It was so strange the way her computer had picked up Bog’s message, but left her cut off from anyone else. It was almost as if the stars wanted them to meet. She tried not to think about that poor man, floating in space, running out of food, but at least he had water now. That bought him a little more time. 

The next morning Marianne went through her day as she usually did when she was confined to her home, checking the progress of her gardens, going over paperwork, working on her experiments, all while the storm raged outside. But her thoughts kept drifting to the stranger she had met last night. 

He seemed really nice, she thought, sweet and alone--heartbreakingly alone in the cold vacuum of space on a dying or dead ship. She understood that feeling. Granted she had a sister, but she still felt an aching loneliness that had nothing to do with her physically being out here by herself. Speaking to Bog had eased that pain in a way that she wasn’t expecting. She found herself anxious to speak to him, wanting to talk to him again, so much so that she had a difficult time focusing on her work. She wanted to learn more about him, to listen to him speak, to just enjoy his company. 

She hadn’t realized how much she missed talking to someone until she had gotten speak with Bog last night. 

She felt a little ashamed though. The poor man was stranded out there, somewhere in the vastness of space and here she was, wanting to talk to him because she was lonely. She needed to find a way to help him… 

She just wasn’t sure how, not while the storm kept her cut off and inside her habitat. 

Marianne showered and ate dinner early that night, her heart pounding as she dressed. She was waiting by her computer well before Bog would call her, but when she saw the red dot on her computer signalling his incoming message, Marianne’s hand shot out fast to accept the call. 

The screen on her computer turned black for a moment followed by a blink of light and suddenly Bog was there. 

He looked so tired, thin, but he smiled when he saw her. “Hey! I was worried it wouldn’t work again, but…I did it!” He laughed. “There you are! You look great by the way.” 

Marianne had taken the time to fix her hair...sort of. She didn’t really have anything more than a brush, but she had used it after her shower. She was wearing a simple white t-shirt tonight with a comfortable purple sweater over that, nothing special, but she had tried to look more presentable tonight. 

Bog was wearing what looked like some sort of thick dark sweater too, but she immediately noted that she could see the moisture from his breath with more clarity than last night. 

Marianne smiled back at him. “How are you doing?” 

Bog shrugged. “Well, things haven’t gotten worse, so that’s a plus.” 

Marianne frowned a little, but leaned toward the screen. “So what do you want to talk about tonight?” 

Bog rubbed his unshaven chin. “Mm…how about you tell me a story? Something about when you were a kid.” 

“Only if you tell me one in return,” she said with a grin. 

Bog laughed. “You’re on.” 

* 

They spoke for hours. 

Marianne laughed as Bog told her about growing up on one of the colony planets and the mischief he would get into when he was younger. With his mother being a mechanic there were plenty of spare bits and pieces around for him to tinker with, and so he had decided he was going to go into space like his father. Bog told her the story of building his own ship as a kid and how he had given it enough power that, while it didn’t get him into space, he had enough power in his little rocket ship to tear through several yards, over a laser fence and through the cornfields of one of their neighbors, scaring his cattle before he crashed into the lake. 

Marianne told Bog about growing up moving around a lot, but how she and her sister would fly through the corridors of the ships they lived on having races down the longest corridors and the lectures they would get from their mother while she tried not to laugh at them. 

Marianne stood up and turned, spreading her wings to show Bog, who stared in wonderment. 

* 

Over the next several days, Bog and Marianne spoke at the same time every evening. 

Marianne continued to try to get a message out in an effort to get help for Bog, but every day she met with failure, leaving her heartbroken. 

Marianne tried to keep their conversations light every time they spoke, but she was worried about Bog. As her feelings for him deepened, she was becoming terrified for him. She could see he was getting weaker every time they spoke... 

This evening he was nearly ten minutes late contacting her, which had her in a panic, her mind racing with all the possibilities of what might have happened, her blood running cold at the thought of losing him. When Bog’s image came on screen, he looked paler, more ragged, thinner. He was wearing an old, but thick sweater which looked like it had swallowed him whole. Bog rested his chin in his hand, smiling at her clearly trying to put on a good face, but she could see he wasn’t doing well. 

“How are you tonight?” Bog asked softly. “I missed you.” 

Marianne smiled back at him, wanting so much to reach out and stroke his hair back from his brow. “I’m fine, you okay?” 

Bog nodded. “Yeah, the environmental controls are completely out now. They had been working, though poorly because of the ion storm, but now...I’m getting oxygen, that, thank goodness, isn’t an issue, but…” He shrugged. “Just even colder here now, but I’ll be all right.” He quickly responded when he saw the look of worry and concern become more pronounced on Marianne’s face. “I might get snow--now that would be funny.” 

Marianne did not look amused. “Have you been able to boost the signal or…” 

Bog shook his head. “No...I can only contact you.” He smiled. “Which I don’t mind at all. I like talking to you.” 

Marianne smiled softly at Bog. “I like talking to you too Bog.” 

“Maybe if I get saved, I can take you out to dinner?” Bog asked with a grin. 

Marianne laughed. “You will be...and I would like that a lot Bog.” 

He laughed, but the laugh turned into a cough. The sound was harsh and painful sounding, made Marianne flinch. He made a low groan when he stopped, his hand pressed against his chest, taking a few moments to recover before he smiled at her again. 

“You know, if I knew getting lost in space would give me the courage to ask such a pretty girl out to dinner, I might have done it sooner.” He gave her a playful grin. “Imminent death has done wonders for my confidence.” 

“Bog, that isn’t funny,” Marianne scolded, but Bog kept smiling at her. 

“It’s a little funny.” 

Marianne shook her head. She opened her mouth about to ask him about the cough when they both heard something. It was loud, echoing not just through Bog’s ship, but the sound was loud enough that Marianne jumped in her seat. 

“Bog! What was that?” Marianne asked, leaning forward. 

Bog stood up. She could see him reaching over his head to mess with something out of her field of sight. She got a long look at Bog’s lean torso (the sweater he was wearing rose up revealing his stomach.) She could see a nasty scar along his side that was deep and harsh making her wonder what had happened to him when Bog’s face came back into view. He looked worried. 

“Bog?” Marianne asked, but Bog looked behind him, then back at her. 

“Someone’s here, but I don’t think they're here to help me…” Bog grabbed something. She didn’t quite see what it was, but it looked long, metallic... 

“Bog! What d’you mean? Someone found you? That’s wonderful! I…” Marianne started, but Bog shook his head looking at her through the screen. “It’s not anyone here to help me…” 

“How do you know?” Marianne asked. 

Bog’s voice dropped to a low hiss. “It’s pirates…”


	2. Pirates

Bog stared at himself in the mirror. He had overslept. That seemed to be what he was doing a lot of lately, sleeping. He figured it was the thin oxygen, the cold, and the lack of food that left him with such low energy, causing him to spend more time sleeping than awake. And that fatigue and malnutrition made him late this evening to his talk with Marianne. 

He been rationing his food for a couple of weeks now and it was beginning to show. He had always had a problem with keeping weight on--his mother would swear up and down that if he skipped a meal he would lose ten pounds before the next one. He smiled a little sadly, thinking of his mother. By now she probably knew something was wrong, knew that the longer he was missing, the less likely his chances of getting home became. His last message to her had been an invitation for him to take her out to dinner when he got back since he expected a pretty good payday from this quick little one man mission. 

Joke was on him. 

His crew was probably worrying too--or maybe their weren’t. He thought about Thang, a little green frog-like alien who was his navigator, who had been by Bog’s side from the beginning when Bog had dropped out of the academy. They were good friends. Hell, Thang was probably his best friend. Thang would be upset he supposed, but he would get over it. They would all get over it. 

No one but his mother would really miss him when he was gone, at least that was what he told himself. 

But then he had found Marianne, the only person to pick up his distress signal. He was sure he was going to die out here as the days turned into weeks, everything slowly failing around him, his food running out. His water would last longer, but he knew the ship was slowly leaking oxygen and he couldn’t find the leak. It was a cascade effect as everything in the ship began to slowly shut down until eventually, he would shut down. This ship that had been his pride and joy when he had been able to purchase her on his own, but now the ship would become his floating tomb. 

He groaned trying not to focus on such dim thoughts. He had promised himself he wasn't ready to die, that he would fight until the bitter end. He closed his eyes, running a hand over his face forcing the negative thoughts away with an effort. He was going to talk to Marianne soon. Their conversation had become the light in his existence, and they would have been the light in his life even if he wasn’t going to die, because when everything was at its bleakest, he had found her. The chances of them meeting were astronomical, but they had met. In the vastness of space he had discovered an angel. 

He had no idea what species she was...he couldn’t recall coming across any aliens with bright fairy-like wings before. Regardless, Marianne was beautiful, funny, and probably the smartest fucking person he had ever known. After the last several days, Bog was pretty sure he was falling in love with her, which was just fucking perfect since he was going to die and all. 

Not that his death mattered. He would never win the love of someone so...amazing. He was ugly, grumpy, and well...not the best person. No, Marianne was the type of woman who deserved someone who could give her the universe, and that wasn’t him. If he lived, all he could give her was his love. 

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair, which was really in need of a cut. He could pick out some more grey at his temples. Wonderful, he thought with a sigh of resignation. He dragged that same hand down over his face and thought he could use a shave too. He had a pretty good salt and pepper beard started at least, though he wasn’t going to waste his energy on shaving--and he couldn’t spare the water or power output. Right now he was excited because he was about to speak with Marianne again for their evening talk. 

He knew that she was the only reason he was still alive now. Talking to her was something he looked forward to like a child at Christmas. She was every good thing rolled into one, every sunny day, every beautiful planet, every holiday, every joy rolled into a petite, beautiful package. Bog grinned lopsidedly. He could gaze at her all day, listen to her talk about botany and plants and never get bored. 

He was going to miss their talks when he died. Or maybe he wouldn’t miss anything, because he would be dead. He sighed at that thought. 

Bog stared at his reflection once more. “Just enjoy what ye have bampot, and stop being a depressing fuck.” 

Bog left the head and made his way through the dark and silent ship to where he had set himself up in the smallest crew quarters on the ship. He had done that to try to conserve heat since the environmental controls were shot, and because Pare--who usually occupied this space when Bog had a full crew on the ship--was the Wyvern’s tech wiz. Everything Bog had needed to boost a distress signal had still been in Pare’s room. There wasn’t much, but it had been enough for him to make contact with Marianne. 

Bog moved through the crew quarters with ease; there was still gravity, but it was reduced, so he wasn’t exactly floating, but he wasn't firmly on the ground either. 

He entered the small room and pulled the door mostly closed once he was seated in front of the computer. He quickly hit the send and waited, but he didn’t have to wait long. Within seconds 

Marianne’s beautiful face appeared and she was smiling. 

“How are you tonight?” Bog asked softly, leaning on his elbows. “I missed you.” 

Marianne leaned closer to her screen. “I’m fine, you okay?” 

Bog nodded with a smile, though he knew the smile wasn’t completely convincing judging by the look in her eyes. “Yeah, the environmental controls are completely out now. They had been working, though poorly because of the ion storm, but now...I’m getting oxygen, that, thank goodness, isn’t an issue, but…” He shrugged. “Just even colder here now, but I’ll be all right.” He quickly responded when he saw the look of worry and concern become more pronounced on Marianne’s face. He hated to see her worried, especially when there was nothing she could do for him except what she was doing now, which was far more important to him than she realized. Talking to her got him through the day and made him stay focused that he needed to stay alive until help came, which he tried to tell himself it would. “I might get snow, now that would be funny.” He grinned at her, lifting his brows. 

Marianne did not look amused, but even her annoyed expression was damned adorable Bog thought. “Have you been able to boost the signal or…” 

Bog shook his head. “No...I can only contact you.” He smiled. “Which I don’t mind at all. I like talking to you.” He gave her another smile, completely genuine, reaching his eyes which sparkled slightly despite how he felt physically. 

Marianne smiled softly at Bog. “I like talking to you too Bog.” 

“Maybe if I get saved I can take you out to dinner?” Bog asked with a grin, the words tumbling out before he could stop himself. He cringed inwardly. What were you thinking? He must be getting punch drunk from the thin oxygen levels. 

Marianne laughed, her brown eyes bright, and her smile lovely. “You will be...and I would like that a lot Bog.” 

Bog laughed, but the laugh turned into a cough, which turned into a painful hacking that wracked his whole body. The cough made his chest hurt like hell and he pressed his hand to his chest with each harsh cough until it finally stopped. His chest and throat burned, raw feeling from the wracking cough. 

He groaned softly, trying to keep the sound quiet, but Marianne easily heard his painful groan. 

He glanced up at her worried expression and smiled. “You know, if I knew getting lost in space would give me the courage to ask such a pretty girl out to dinner, I might have done it sooner.” He gave her a playful grin. “Imminent death has done wonders for my confidence.” 

“Bog, that isn’t funny.” Marianne scolded but Bog kept smiling at her. 

“It’s a little funny.” 

A loud bang echoed through Bog’s ship. His eyes widened in surprise and he jumped in his seat. 

On his screen Marianne looked just as shocked. “Bog! What was that?” Marianne asked, leaning forward. 

“Bog?” Marianne asked but Bog looked behind him then back at her. He didn’t answer her, his mind racing. He wasn’t sure why, but his gut told him this wasn’t a rescue. 

Bog stood up, reaching over his head. There were a few cameras on the ship that still worked; he had been able to reroute those couple of camera feeds to this room’s computer. Not many of them worked, but there were enough for him to see movement in one of the corridors. He frowned narrowing his eyes in concentration...someone was cutting into his hull. 

“Someone’s here, but I don’t think they're here to help me…” Bog ducked down and grabbed the baseball bat that Pare kept under his cot. The man, a large rounded alien with solid black eyes and ears that stuck out straight from his head in points, was a crazed human baseball fan. The man had all kinds of memorabilia that he had collected over the years, and a small portion of it he kept in his quarters on the Wyvern. Bog knew that Pare kept the bat because he, Thang or whoever Pare could wrangle into a game, always played baseball in the ship’s small storage bay, or a few times they pitched baseballs down the corridors for Pare to hit with his prized, actual wooden baseball bat. Bog had gotten after them, but then ended up hitting baseballs with the crew anyway because he was a big old softy, just as his mother often said of him. 

And it was fun. 

Bog gripped the baseball bat tightly when he heard the loud clunk of metal shifting, causing his entire ship to vibrate and shudder again. 

He heard Marianne’s worried voice through the computer. 

“Bog! What do you mean? Someone found you? That’s wonderful! I…” Marianne started but Bog shook his head looking at her through the screen. “It’s not anyone here to help me…” 

“How do you know?” Marianne asked. 

Bog’s voice dropped to a low hiss. “It’s pirates…” A glance at the camera feed showed four figures, one probably a robot, a female--he assumed from its stance--and two others in shadow. 

He turned back to her. “I need to take care of this. If they find me, there’s a good chance they could kill me.” 

Marianne looked shocked. “What?” 

Bog nodded. “If I’m right, they’re going to want my ship and one lone survivor is an inconvenience…” 

“Bog!” Marianne reached forward and touched screen. 

Bog smiled at her and reached out to lay his hand against the computer screen too. He knew he shouldn't be happy, but she clearly cared about him and he felt a hitch in his chest. “I’ll call you back once I’ve taken care of this. Will you wait?’ 

Marianne blinked back tears, but Bog saw them rolling down her cheeks. “You better. I’ll be right here,” she said softly. “Don’t you dare not come back.” 

He smiled and gave her a nod before he started to disconnect, but then stopped himself and looked into her eyes. Despite the distance, he felt like she was right there. “I know this isn’t proper, and it's stupid, and if you hate me for saying this I’m sorry but...Marianne, I think I could be falling for you. I know it might be the desperation of my situation, but I don’t think so...no, I know it isn't…” 

Marianne stared back at him her brown eyes wide. “Bog I…” 

He pushed away. “Don’t say anything, it’s fine. I’ll call you back as soon as I can.” 

With that he clicked off the communication. 

He checked the cameras again, but while he could see the hole in the hull of his ship he didn’t see anyone. At least decompression hadn’t occurred. That meant there was a seal... 

Bog pressed his lips together and hurried out of the room. 

* 

Tobs looked around once he, Edan, and Ayna walked into the ship’s corridor along with Ayna’s robot, B8, a humanoid-shaped robot made of all mottled brown and grey metal. It lacked a face, only having one red orb that was off-center in the middle of where it’s face should be, which always made Tobs feel weird when the thing was looking at him. The body was all smooth metal and 

Tobs knew for a fact the thing was deadly strong. It trailed behind Ayna like a pet. Tobs hated it. 

Tobs was a stout alien with dark pebbled grey skin and large red eyes. Edan, a short green-skinned alien with gold eyes and a very large mouth with peg-like teeth and ears that made Tobs think of something aquatic, had to wear a helmet most of the time, oxygen being difficult for him to breathe. Ayna was a pretty little thing with short blue hair and ivory skin, but it was her pink gem-like eyes that Tobs liked the best. That and she was great in bed and was more murderous than him, which made her a great co-captain. He just wished she would dump the robot. He hated B8; he couldn’t deny that thing had its uses, but it unnerved Tobs, especially since Ayna refused to give it a regular mind wipe twice a week because she said it made the thing a better tool for her use. Who was he to argue with his lover, and he wouldn’t put it past her to stick a blade in his throat if he pissed her off too much. 

Tobs clapped his hands together grinning. “This is going to bring us a lot of money.” 

Ayna snarled. “It’s damaged…” 

“Yes, but not so badly we can’t strip it for some good stuff.” Tobs grinned. 

Edan’s voice sounded tinny behind his mask. “What about survivors? Our sensors picked up at least one.” 

Tobs shrugged. “What about them? If we find anyone, we kill them. All hands lost--easy.” He wrapped his knuckles on top of Edan’s helmet. “Cheer up.” 

Edan shook his head. “I don’t like this. What if there are survivors and they put out an S.O.S?” 

Tobs sighed. “Edan...we can kill any survivors and dispose of the bodies before anyone shows up. Besides, this ship was floating, and we only picked up one life form. This ship ain’t doing so well and they probably ain’t either.” 

Ayna looked around. “Ship this size might have seven at the most...if they have that many, someone would have come down here to greet us.” 

Edan frowned. “There are only three of us and our sensors were having difficulty scanning the ship...” 

Tobs groaned. “Edan, you worry more than an old woman. Now, let’s spread out, check the ship. I want that life sign found and dealt with, then meet me back in the cockpit.” 

Edan groused. “It’s cold in here.” 

Tobs shrugged. “I think the environmental controls must be damaged or maybe whoever is on the ship likes it cold. Stop complaining. Just search the ship, find the survivor, kill them and we can get to work--got it?” 

Ayna smiled, showing off a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth. “I hope I find them first.” She motioned and the B8 robot followed. Tobs watched as Ayna slid two wickedly curved laser knives into her hands. The soft blue light they gave off cast her in shadows, and the low hum from the weapons followed her as she moved away. 

Tobs shuddered, but at the same time he admired her as she walked away. “Whoever is on this ship better hope you or me find them first, Edan. I think Ayna will want to play with them.” 

Edan snorted. “Yeah, play.” 

Tobs smirked and headed off in the opposite direction, Edan followed him for a little bit before turning off to go down another corridor. 

* 

Bog moved silently through the corridors of his ship. The difference between pirates and salvagers was that not only did Bog receive a commission to salvage old ships, but when he and his crew found a derelict ship, he could board the ship legally to assess damage, the profitability of salvage, check for survivors, provide aid if survivors were found, and if possible contact the owners of the ship. If no one laid claim to the ship, then he and his team could salvage the ship. Pirates did much the same thing, though they would attack ships that were clearly in working order, but who had clearly wandered off the main space lanes. Or, if they found a derelict ship like the Wyvern, they would often make sure there were no survivors. Bog provided a service and had occasionally saved a life. Pirates simply took. 

He had one advantage against the intruders. He knew this ship like the back of his hand. Even if these pirates were familiar with the layout of this kind of ship, they could never know her like Bog did. He knew all the intricacies of the Wyvern, all her nooks and crannies. The pirates were on his turf now. 

Bog moved along the corridor, heading in the direction he had seen the pirates enter his ship. The corridors were dark, Bog having shut off any working lights that he found unnecessary. He could move around the ship with little light since he knew the ship so well. 

He stopped short when he heard movement. He listened, waiting for a beat before he ducked into an alcove. 

* 

Edan moved cautiously, holding a wicked looking blade in his hand. He didn’t like the fact that large parts of this corridor were not lit up. The shadows kept looking like shapes moving next to him. He hated this part of the job. He much preferred taking a ship full of people; killing was easy, but ghosts...ghost scared him. He knew all the stories about spaceships of the dead, floating lost in space until some unlucky person found them. He also didn’t like only having his knife. 

They never used guns or blasters on jobs like this, since usually, the ships were too unstable and one poor shot could mean a hull breach with all of them being sucked into the void of space, or worse, into an engine, or a star. There were a lot of bad ways a person could die out here. Edan sighed. While he wished he had something more than his knife, he didn’t actually like to use guns because even when they were on good ships full of people, an unlucky blaster or laser shot could end a job far more quickly for everyone than a fight with any crew members left on any ship. He would prefer to have his staff, but the corridors didn’t allow for a lot of movement, making a staff impractical. Maybe if he found a way to shorten it to a club he thought as he walked along, adjusting his hold on his knife. The blade Edan carried was as long as his forearm with a nasty serrated edge, and it had saved his life on more than one occasion. So as he walked down the corridor checking dark spaces and looking into rooms, he held the blade out like a shield. 

Bog watched the alien moving closer to him, his eyes narrowed, waiting. There was no way he was going to avoid him. The alcove he was in was not all that deep and the alien would be on him in a matter of seconds… 

Edan frowned. Something felt off, but he couldn’t decide if it was his nerves or something was really off. If he didn’t have to wear this helmet, his sense of smell would tell him. He kept moving, his eyes darting back and forth, but the helmet that allowed him to breath also limited his vision. He stepped past Bog’s hiding spot without seeing him at first, only sensing movement at the last second. 

Bog stepped out of the alcove, his bat raised… 

Edan spun around, but Bog was already swinging his bat, the solid wood catching Edan across his helmet. The impact of the bat caused the visor of the helmet to spiderweb. Edan shrieked and launched himself at his attacker, but Bog danced out of the way, yet the blade still cause him cutting a fine line along his thigh through the cloth of his pants. Bog swung again, snarling, his teeth bared, his jaw clenched, and his fury giving him strength that he didn't actually have in his weakened condition. He knew he had to kill this person or they would kill him. His resignation to his death before was gone. He wasn’t going to die out here damn it! 

Bog’ swing missed, but the alien slashed at him again. The knife nicked Bog along his forearm tearing through the sweater he wore biting into the meat of his arm painfully. At the same time the alien attacked, it yelled, “I FOUND THEM!!” 

Bog’s initial hit with the bat hadn’t just cracked the visor but had damaged the voice modulator that allowed his voice to be heard, so his shout for help came out as a whisper. 

Bog hissed and swung his bat in an overhead swing that brought the wood crashing down on top of Edan’s head. This time the helmet cracked open like an egg. The alien made a high pitched squeal as the gas inside began to escape, leaking out swiftly. Edan dropped his knife reaching over his head to try to plug the hole with his hands and stumbling back from the human he had been fighting with. The pirate tripped over his own feet and landed on his back. 

Bog watched in morbid fascination as the alien twisted and shrieked, it's cries becoming high enough pitched that Bog dropped his bat and covered his ears. Bog stumbled against a bulkhead, wincing from the sound when suddenly the alien’s head exploded. 

Bog jumped in surprise, frowning as the body went still. He walked over gingerly and nudged the body with the toe of his boot. The helmet was smeared with a gooey substance that began to leak from the crack in the helmet. 

Bog turned away, suddenly ill. He pressed a hand against the wall. The urge to vomit was strong but he fought it. He couldn’t afford to lose what little he had on his stomach and he had to get moving. He took a precious moment to collect himself before he walked over, looking at the bat and knife before he reached down and picked up the knife. He grabbed the bat as well, but set it in the alcove he had been hiding in. Bog wasn’t a killer, but he would do what he had to in order to survive. 

Maybe he hadn't resigned himself to die out here after all. Maybe Marianne gave him a reason to try... 

* 

Marianne was sobbing. She had covered her face with her hands, panic and fear for Bog overwhelming her. Bog hadn’t returned and it had been nearly half an hour. She hated this, feeling so helpless, so lost! She had spent hours talking to this man each night for a while now, and in that time she realized that she not only cared about him, but… 

She looked up at her blank computer screen. Could you fall in love with someone you have never met in person? They had packed in so much time in the hours they had talked, just hours and hours of talking together, laughing… 

Her bottom lip trembled as she reached out and laid her hand against the screen of her computer. “Please Bog...come back to me.” 

* 

B8 moved silently behind Ayna, it’s one robotic eye rotated to watch her. B8 did not see Ayna as his partner or simply a master, he saw her as his owner, an enslaver, the person that kept him on a leash, controlling him. B8 knew the only reason Ayna had never erased its memory was because it made B8 a better tool for her use. She had given him the ability to think for himself by not erasing his memory, but that gift was also a curse. B8 now knew it was enslaved to an evil person. During its time of self-awareness (which granted, was only a short time) B8 had grown uncomfortable with the things that it’s own did. Ayna was an evil woman who lacked morals, ethics, or any sense of decency to other living things. B8 had downloaded information about ethics about right and wrong, filling its memory banks with information about what was considered good--which it found that it enjoyed--but this new information brought B8 pain and confusion as these two ideas were accompanied by...things that it felt. 

B8 had watched and helped Ayna kill many, many innocent species, but now B8 wanted to escape. 

Ayna stalked down the corridor she had chosen, her head swinging one way then another as she sniffed the air… 

* 

Bog moved swiftly and silently. His plan was to find the female, take care of her (hopefully not kill her, but…) then find the one that he was sure had headed toward the bridge and pray that no one else had entered the ship when he left the cameras to come after them. If there were more of them, he didn't think he would survive. He was already trembling from the fight he had just had. 

His lack of food, the cold, his exhaustion... 

Bog stopped, could feel a cough coming on. He turned and pressed the hand holding the knife against the wall, and wrapped his other hand around his nose and mouth trying to stifle the cough. It was painful, his body jerked, he cough burned his throat... 

He couldn’t stop the explosive hack that came from him. He bent over and coughed hard and loudly. 

* 

Ayna turned at the sound of coughing, a wicked smile spreading across her strangely pretty face, showing off all of her needle-sharp teeth. She took off at a loping run with B8 following her. 

* 

Bog gasped for breath. Coughing made his entire body hurt and his knees weak. He closed his eyes, willing himself to breathe normally again. He pushed away from the wall and turned just in time to see a shadowy figure rushing at him. 

Bog didn’t have time to react before the female alien leaped up and hit him with her booted feet right in his chest. He flew backwards a couple of steps, the pain of several ribs snapping spread out from his chest before he hit the floor, and the knife he held flew out of his hand when he hit the floor. The back of his head slammed against the metal deck, causing him to see a burst of stars as he slid two feet before coming to a stop. He blinked in confusion, his head radiating pain that was only slightly less than the pain in his side from the broken ribs. Before Bog even realized he had stopped moving, the woman was on top of him, landing on his chest, pain blasting his breath from his lungs as the pale alien held her knives crossed at his throat. The faint buzz and hiss of the blades gave him electrical shocks against his throat, but he felt no heat coming from them. 

“Well, well...a poor little human boy,” she said, her voice was accented and strange as if the needle-like teeth Bog could see in her mouth made it difficult for her to speak. “Now you are going to die…don’t worry. I’ll slice your head clean off and add those pretty eyes to my collection. Such pretty, pretty eyes...” 

Suddenly the woman screamed as she was yanked off of Bog by her hair. 

Bog rolled to the side, coughing in pain, but from the corner of his eye he saw a humanoid robot lifting the alien woman by her hair. She screamed and kicked, dropping her blades to grab at the metal hand holding her by her hair in the air. 

“B8!! Release me!! What is wrong with you??!! RELEASE ME!!” Ayna screamed. 

B8’s voice lacked emotion. In its monotone voice, it responded. “I no longer wish to be like you. I will not let you kill this man.” 

B8 threw Ayna down the corridor. 

Bog had pushed himself up to a sitting position, one hand held against his broken ribs while he leaned heavily on the other hand. He watched as the woman hit the floor and rolled several feet before coming to a stop. She didn’t move. Bog looked up at the robot who turned its one ocular on him. 

“I would like you to join your crew. I no longer wish to be a tool, a tool for evil,” B8 said, its one red eye rotating and focusing on Bog. 

Bog frowned for a moment, not sure what was going on. He took a ragged breath, decided to take a chance. He smiled painfully and put his hand out. B8 took his offered hand and helped Bog to his feet. 

“Welcome to the crew. What’s your name?” Bog asked. 

“B8,” B8 said and if Bog wasn’t mistaken, the robot sounded pleased. 

Bog nodded, wincing in pain as he reached down and grabbed his knife again. “Well B8, we need to get to the bridge. Follow me.” 

* 

Tobs entered the dark bridge of the ship, looking around while he sucked at his teeth. There were a few lights glowing on the consoles, but otherwise the entire bridge was dead. Most of the controls were dead, the screens on the computers, the nav system, engines, all of it was dead. Tobs tapped one large forefinger against a screen, but nothing happened. 

He walked around, looking at everything with a critical eye. It looked like most of it was salvageable. Whatever had knocked the ship dead had not destroyed everything. There was enough here in computer components to get a good price, not including the usual scrap from the ship itself. He ran his tongue over his teeth, then jerked spinning around when he thought he heard something, an echoing sound that radiated throughout the ship. The sound was like a hard thump against the walls, followed by another loud thump, then nothing but eerie silence. Tobs turned, pulling his own weapon, a long blade that curved at the end. The sharp edges faintly glowed with a pale green luminescence in the dim light. He frowned, narrowing his eyes, stepped toward the entrance and looked out the doorway from which he had entered. He heard what sounded like movement. 

Tobs frowned and stepped out a little further. “Ayna?” 

He took another step, holding his arm up, his blade held against his forearm. “Ayna if that’s you, this isn’t funny.” 

“It is me.” B8 stepped from out of the shadows. 

Tobs jerked in surprise, then shrugged. “Fuck B8...you scared me. Where’s Ayna, or Edan?” 

Bog rushed out of the shadows at Tobs, sending the other stumbling, but he spun around and backhanded the weakened Bog, the blade in his hand cutting across Bog’s chin and through his bottom lip. 

Pain flashed across his face. Bog grunted stumbling back, tasting blood in his mouth and feeling it drip down his front. He tried to dodge the next attack, but Tobs was healthy while Bog was not only hurt, but had been growing weaker over the last several weeks. The pirate sliced at Bog, cutting him across Bog’s chest, slicing neatly through the sweater and into the flesh underneath. Bog grunted and slashed back. His attack missed, but when Tobs lunged to slice at Bog with his knife, an attack that would surely have killed Bog, slicing open his belly, B8’s hand snapped out and grabbed Tobs by the wrist of his weapon hand and squeezed until the alien male dropped the knife. 

Tobs screamed as the robot snapped his wrist and continued to squeeze, crushing the bones underneath. “You will leave this ship, you will take Anya, Edan, and go. I have put them at the entrance. If you do not leave, I will throw you both out into the cold of space.” 

Tobs hissed in pain, sweat breaking out on his forehead. “We’ll GO!!” 

B8 dropped Tobs. 

The alien scrambled to his feet, holding his destroyed hand against his stomach. He glared hatefully at B8 and Bog, who had stumbled back to lean against the wall, before Tobs turned and ran. 

B8 watched Tobs go before he turned to Bog. “I will go and seal the hole or you will die…” 

Bog motioned. “Yes, go and...thank you.” 

B8 stopped and stared at Bog with his one red eye. Bog couldn’t tell what was going on in the robot’s head, but it reached out and laid a hand on Bog’s shoulder gently. “No--thank you.” 

Bog sank to the floor, watching B8 run down the corridor. He closed his eyes and let out a pained breath. The agony was almost overwhelming for his weakened state. It hurt to breathe and he wasn’t sure he could push himself up to stand again, but he was alive and still had his ship. 

Bog pressed his bloody lips together. He need to get up, he needed to talk to Marianne... 

* 

Marianne was on the verge of hysterics. Three hours had passed since she last saw Bog. She was sick with worry, her stomach had turned so badly that she had rushed off to vomit. She was shaking, her entire body trembling with worry, and even her wings were shivering. She sat down in front of her computer, leaning her elbows on the table and covered her face as she began to cry again. She was helpless, helpless to save him, to do anything! 

She dropped her head down to her folded arms, her sobs having been reduced to soft whimpers. At first she didn’t hear the soft beep on her computer, she was so miserable, so lost that the sound didn’t break through her misery… 

She heard it again. 

Marianne looked up in confusion to see the small red dot at the corner of her screen. “BOG!” 

She reached out and slammed her fingers against it. A second later, the screen filled with Bog’s image. He looked bad, he had medical tape on his bottom lip and chin, there was a bruise forming under one of his eyes, and he looked paler--too pale, she noted with worry creasing her brow. There was little color in his face, making his blue eyes almost glow in his sockets, while the dried blood on his chin and the wounds looked harsh, blaring against his skin. She couldn’t be sure because of the computer image, but she thought he had a fever too. 

“Bog!” Marianne began to cry again, pressing her hand against the screen. “What happened?” she asked, her voice trembling. 

Bog smiled at her, then winced in pain. “It was pirates like I thought, but we fought them off.” 

“We?” Marianne asked in confusion only to yelp in surprise as a robotic face popped up on her screen next to Bog’s head, its one red eye rotated as it looked at her. “I am B8. Bog King is my new friend, my first friend. He will help me be better. I want to be good. You are female that he loves named Marianne. You are species feyflores, your home world is called Aestaslux. I will help Bog return home. Bog is very sick, he has a fever and is wounded, and he must have more help.” 

Bog pushed the robot out of the screen. “All right, gonna have to teach you some manners, B8.” 

Marianne heard B8’s voice. “What are manners?” 

Bog smiled. “We’ll talk about it later pal.” 

Marianne frowned, her eyes filled with fear. “Bog…” 

Bog smiled at her laying one hand against the screen where her hand still laid pressed against the it. Their fingers touched, though they couldn’t feel each other. “I’m all right Marianne,” Bog said softly. 

Marianne’s lip trembled. “No, you’e not all right...Bog…” Tears ran down her cheeks. “Bog...you need to hang on, please…” She smiled even as the tears continued to roll softly down her eyes. 

“You need to find me. Please.” 

Bog smiled at her as his fingers caressed the screen. “I’ll find you…I promise, Marianne. Somehow…” 

Marianne nodded. She couldn’t stop crying, but she smiled for him. “You should go rest.” 

Bog nodded. Marianne thought he looked beyond exhausted. “Yeah, you’re probably right...talk to you tomorrow?” 

“Yes.” Marianne smiled again. “I’ll be here.” 

Bog smiled weakly. “So will I.”


	3. The Long Shot

Bog pushed himself up, but it was a struggle to get out of his bunk. The ship had grown colder over the last few days, leaving a thin layer of frost on some surfaces nearer the exterior hull. The wounds he had suffered seemed to be taking longer to heal, he was weak from lack of food, minimal water and the cold. 

The cold was the worst. 

Bog was also aware that he was running a temperature. He wrapped several blankets around himself and shuffled to the computer. He frowned, only briefly wondering where B8 had wandered off to, but he didn’t focus on the robot for very long; he was having trouble maintaining his concentration on anything except speaking with Marianne. 

Bog flopped down into the chair with a smile on his pale lips. Her face and her voice were probably the only things keeping him going even though a part of him was sure he was going to die out here, but he just couldn’t seem to give up that sliver of hope that speaking with Marianne kept burning in him. That hope was probably why he was still alive. 

Bog reached a shaking hand forward to touch the screen of his computer and waited. 

* 

Marianne waited impatiently to hear from Bog. Her heartbeat pulsed loud enough in her ears that she couldn’t hear much else, her palms were sweaty, and her wings continued to twitch and vibrate erratically. The storm that had been raging for several days outside her structure was still going fairly strong. She wasn’t any more isolated than she had been from the moment she and Bog found each other--or during other storms out here before she met Bog--but watching Bog’s health deteriorate before her eyes made her feel more lost and alone than ever before. She wanted nothing more in the world than to reach through the screen and pull him into her arms. It wasn’t fair, that after all this time the universe would give her someone to love only to keep him at arm's length while the universe tried it’s damnedest to take him away from her. 

She hated being helpless, hated not being able to reach out and touch him, to help him, to even get a message out to someone else who could help Bog. Her heart ached because a little sliver of fear that he really was going to die out there alone somewhere in the vastness of space might actually come to pass. 

Marianne closed her eyes, tears slowly sliding from under her lashes and down her cheeks. Her eyes flew open when she heard the soft sound of her computer letting her know she had received a message. 

Marianne quickly and aggressively wiped at her eyes; she didn’t want Bog to see that she had been crying. Her hand shot out to touch the screen and her computer instantly filled with the image of Bog. She had to catch herself when she saw him. He looked worse than he had yesterday. He was paler, ashen looking with dark circles under his eyes which glowed feverishly, the blue standing out in stark contrast against the pallor of his skin. His dark hair was limp and damp looking and he kept shivering even with the blankets wrapped around him, but when he smiled at her Marianne felt everything in her break. 

“Bog…” She reached out and touched the screen, wishing again she could reach out for him. She wanted to pull him into her arms, wanted to hold him and nurse him back to health. Marianne wanted to kiss him, feel him, and tell him that he was safe now. 

Instead her voice trembled. “Any better?” She knew the answer before he spoke. 

Bog smiled at her laying his hand against the screen and Marianne saw the tremor in his hand. 

“How are you feeling?” she asked again, then wanted to kick herself at the same time. It was clear he wasn’t feeling well. 

Bog smiled. “Well, I’ve felt better, but I’ve also felt worse. Can't remember at the moment when that was, but I’m sure I have.” He chuckled, then broke into a fit of coughing that sounded like it was tearing his lungs and throat to shreds. 

Marianne put her hand over her mouth and felt tears run down her cheeks despite her efforts not to cry. 

Bog looked at her across the vast distance and darkness that separated them when he had finished coughing and smiled. Despite his pain, his smile was beautiful Marianne thought, but that thought turned cold when she examined his image. 

She saw blood on his lips. 

“Bog…” Her lip was trembling. “We have to figure out something…” 

“B8 is doing what he can, but I don’t have a lot of medicine on board, mostly just first aid stuff for injuries.” He shrugged and smiled, and she could tell he was trying to make her feel better. 

“I’m tough, I’m hanging on.” Bog changed the topic, huddling as he pulled his blanket closer around him. “So how are you feeling? The storm still going?” 

Marianne knew exactly what he was doing, but she went along with him. “Yes, this is one of the worst I’ve seen. The wind tore through one of my walls in the greenhouse, if the safety forcefield hadn’t kicked in I would have lost the entire thing. As it was, I only lost a handful of crops.” 

Bog nodded shivering. “That’s good as long as it’s nothing that’s going to hurt you?” 

Marianne shook her head. “I’m fine. I have plenty to eat.” 

Bog smiled, clearly happy before he whispered. “I would love to see your greenhouse sometime.” 

Marianne nodded and smiled. “Me too. We could go for a walk at night here. The moons are beautiful after the storms have passed.” 

Bog smiled, and Marianne thought the circles under his eyes seemed to have grown darker just in the time they had been speaking. “My one regret is going to be having never gotten to kiss you,” he said in a whisper. 

Marianne took a shuddering breath. “Don’t say that Bog, you will. You’ll find your way to me, we’ll kiss, then make love in my bed for days…” She smiled at him, reaching out to caress the screen. 

Bog laughed, but the sound was weak. “You sure you wanna have sex with an ugly human like me?” 

Marianne nodded. “I want to make love with you Bog. I want to wake up with my body next to yours, my wings wrapped around us both…” She blushed and whispered. “Did you know when my species…” She blushed brighter and she could feel that the tips of her ears were red. “...when we...orgasm, our wings glow.” 

Bog gave her a goofy grin despite how bad he was feeling. “Now that is a sight I would love to see.” 

Marianne giggled, but then frowned, covering her mouth on a sob when Bog was wracked again by painful, wet sounding coughs that made his entire body shake. When he stopped and took a wheezing breath, there were more flecks of blood on his lips and on the side of his hand where he had brought his hand up to cover his mouth. 

Bog looked down at the blood, his entire face had gone so white he almost looked translucent. He wiped the blood off on his blanket, turning his attention back to Marianne. 

“Sorry about that…” Bog said softly. His voice sounded strained, as if speaking had become painful. 

“Maybe you should lay down,” Marianne whispered, but Bog shook his head. “I don’t want to waste a moment that I can be with you,” he said in a tone just above a whisper. “I want to take you with me into my dreams.” 

Marianne stopped trying not to cry, allowed the tears to roll down her cheeks. “Bog, please--you need to rest. You need to stay strong.” 

Bog smiled at her, his gaze meeting hers. He reached out and laid his hand, which trembled slightly, against the screen. “I love you, Marianne.” Bog’s expression suddenly went slack. Marianne watched in horror as Bog eyes rolled back and he fell forward, his head slamming onto the desk before he slipped out of sight. 

Marianne stood up, knocking her chair back as she screamed. “BOG!!!” 

She slammed her hands against the computer screen as terror flooded over her. “BOG!! BOG!! ANSWER ME!!!” She slammed her hands against the computer and then suddenly the feed was gone. 

Marianne stood staring in shock at the now blank screen, her hands having come up to cover her open mouth as she stared in horror. She felt sick, certain she had damaged her computer, but she saw the power light and green status lights; the problem wasn’t on her end. She stood still, unmoving for a couple of beats of her heart, unable to move, unable to breathe before she dropped to her knees, her entire body wracked with deep, soul breaking sobs. 

She had lost him, she had lost Bog. 

* 

Marianne wasn’t aware of when she had fallen asleep. When she opened her eyes she was lying on her side, curled into a fetal position, her wings wrapped tightly around her body. Her eyes felt swollen and she felt weak. For a moment, she couldn’t remember why she was on the floor, but then the image of Bog collapsing rushed over her thoughts and she felt a deep yawning pain in her chest that spread through her entire body. It was like an open wound, throbbing with emptiness. 

She lay on the floor holding herself tightly. She didn’t know what else to do. 

She was so helpless. 

There was no one she could call for help, there was no way she could send Bog help… 

Marianne broke down into fresh tears, feeling as if she were falling into darkness with no way out. 

She eventually picked herself up off her floor and moved to her bunk where she wrapped herself around Imp. 

She drifted off to sleep again, tears slowly crawling down her cheeks, Imp pressed to her chest. 

* 

Bog came awake to find himself in one of the spacesuits that he kept on the ship for working outside in the vacuum of space, minus the helmet. He was lying on his bunk, warmer now, but he wasn’t sure if that was from the fever or the suit. Probably a little bit of both, he decided. He was burning up, could feel the heat rising off him like steam. It felt as if his body was cooking itself. He had no idea how high his fever was, but it was killing him, he could feel it. His head was spinning as well, probably a combination of having hit it on the desk and the fever. 

Bog groaned softly, reaching up to touch his forehead, and his fingers, now covered by the glove of the spacesuit, came away red with tacky blood. 

He tried to move, but then B8’s one red-eyed face came into view. The robot had been crouching beside the bunk waiting for Bog to regain consciousness. “You should not move. I have given you what medicines I could find, but I have determined that you will die soon unless I find you more medicine, better medicines than we currently have on board. You also need fluids and food. You have suffered a contusion on your forehead. I was just now preparing to bandage the wound. You need stitches, but I could not find anything with which to close the wound.” 

Bog groaned, dropping back down to a prone position; moving was far too difficult. “How long?” 

B8 tilted it’s metal head. “I estimate only a matter of days before you expire.” 

Bog closed his eyes and the sting of tears surprised him. He didn’t think he had enough fluid left in him to cry. “I was talking to Marianne…” 

“You collapsed. I found you on the floor. You have suffered a concussion,” B8 repeated with a frown on its mechanical voice. 

Bog frowned then groaned. “Oh god, Marianne saw me pass out. It must have scared the shit out of her…” 

B8 nodded. “That is a reasonable assumption, though the feed was disconnected so I could not see Marianne’s expression to determine if she had the...” B8 paused before it added. “...shit scared out of her.” 

“Fuck,” Bog muttered weakly. “I wanted to tell her goodbye.” His voice dropped even lower. “I wanted to tell her one more time that I loved her before…” He closed his eyes, tears slowly sliding from under his lashes. “...I die.” 

B8 tilted its head the other way, the red eye moved to focus on Bog. “I do not wish you to expire. You are my first friend. I do not think Marianne would wish this either. I would like to have her as a friend as well, so I have been working on a plan.” 

Bog opened his eyes. Even that small movement was an effort. “A plan?” 

B8 nodded. “I traced your communication with Marianne using my internal navigation system and my data on known systems throughout the galaxy. I cross referenced this with her species and profession. I have determined that her location is within ten million miles in the same system we are currently in.” 

Bog sighed, his excitement fading and taking much of his strength with it as he muttered sarcastically. “Oh, only ten million miles. That's just a good stretch of the legs.” 

B8 didn’t seem to understand Bog’s sarcasm as it continued. “I am working to create a booster for this ship’s escape pod. With enough power, the model of escape pod in this ship should be able to come within a hundred miles of the planet, close enough to achieve orbit--or perhaps closer.” 

Bog blinked, actually impressed. “What?” He tried to push himself up, but couldn’t find the strength. “A booster? You think you can get us that close?” If he could be on the same planet, not only would that mean rescue for him and B8, but there would be a real chance of him seeing Marianne in the flesh. He wasn’t sure which idea made him more excited, the possibility of survival, or seeing her. 

Bog smiled weakly. It was the possibility of seeing Marianne. He would die a thousand times over for the chance to touch her face, if only briefly. 

B8 stared at Bog for a beat before replying. “Yes. I can take the power packs from the remaining space suits. I have used the suits’ internal thruster systems along with several other now unnecessary components to design a booster. It is not finished. If given time, I should have a suitable booster that is functional enough and that will enhance the one shot booster and attitude jets of the escape pod to get us to the planet that Marianne occupies.” 

Bog smiled, closing his eyes as more blasted tears rolling down the sides of his face. “I’m not sure if I should be hopeful, if I’m setting myself for more disappointment.” He supposed he would be dead before real disappointment set in. Bog reached up and wiped the tears away looking at B8. “Thanks buddy.” 

B8 tilted its head the other way. Bog would have laughed because he knew the robot was expressionless, but it was clearly confused by Bog’s responses. 

B8 said in a quieter voice that surprised Bog. “I will do my best not to disappoint. I do not want to disappoint my friend. You must rest--you cannot expire before I am finished.” 

Bog smiled. “I’ll rest, mostly because I don’t have the energy for much else. Thanks for putting me in the suit, by the way.” 

B8 stood up, disappearing from Bog’s view only to quickly return with an adhesive medical strip in its hands. The robot carefully placed the strip over the wound on Bog’s forehead. Bog hissed, the pain of B8 pressing the bandage down send a wave of nausea through him that had him rolling to the side to dry heave, leaving him weak and unable to roll himself onto his back. 

Bog felt as if he were already dead, his body just hadn’t quite given up the fight, but he knew it was only a matter of time. He wondered if B8’s assessment of a few days had been an optimistic prediction. 

B8 stared down at Bog, it’s one red eye made soft mechanical sounds as if adjusted and focused before it said. “I must leave you to continue my work. Do not move.” 

Bog managed a smile. “All right B8, thank you again.” 

B8 headed to the door, but stopped to turn to stare at Bog before it replied. “Thank you Bog.” 

Bog watched the robot leave with a soft smile, letting his eyes drift close. 

He was asleep immediately. 

* 

Bog was standing in one of the corridors of his ship. The corridor was dark, only one light flicked on and off, leaving most of the hall in dancing shadows. He had one hand on the wall, supporting him as he breathed slowly in and out. His breathing sounded and felt wet, as if his lungs were filled with liquid. He was covered in sweat, his hair damp and sticking to him. 

He looked down at himself. He was only wearing pants; otherwise he was shirtless and shoeless. He was always slender, but now he could see every bone in his body. He was a shadow of the man he was… 

Then her heard Marianne’s voice. “Bog…” 

Bog looked up to see her standing at the end of the darkened hall. She was naked, her wings spread out behind her in a purple kaleidoscope of color. He had never seen anything in all the galaxy, in all his life, as beautiful as Marianne. 

She smiled at him, her arms outstretched. “Bog...come to me…” 

Bog started to walk toward her, his hands outstretched. 

Marianne continued to smile and Bog reached out, his fingers almost touching hers when Marianne’s entire body suddenly went up in flames. The scream that came from her was high and piercing. Bog grabbed at his head, covering his ears while Marianne’s wailing filled the air. He tried to reached for her, but she was suddenly falling away, and then he was falling, the ship disappearing around them until he was tumbling head over heels in the vacuum of space, plunging toward the burning Marianne. 

Bog cried out. “MARIANNE!! NO!! Please ...” he begged. “Don’t die...I love you…” 

Marianne’s body exploded. Flames were everywhere, surrounding him, consuming him. He watched in horror as the flesh on his hands and arms began to turn black and flake away exposing the bone. His blood was boiling, he could see the bubbles under the skin, bursting through the charred flesh… 

Marianne’s voice screamed at him. “WAKE UP!” 

Bog’s eyes flew open to the high pitched sound of an alarm wailing and echoing throughout the ship. He sat up quickly and a wave of dizziness washed over him. Bog lurched to his feet and promptly fell over, his head spinning and his stomach lurched. He caught himself on the bulkhead. He could smell the acidic, sulfur-like stench of burning plastic, metal, wires, and alien gods knew what else. No sooner had Bog smelled the smoke than the entire ship shuddered like the poor thing was in its death throes. Several wires overhead burned and sparks rained down on him. 

“What the fuck?” Bog covered his head with one gloved hand before he looked around in confusion. He had trouble focusing and his knees felt weak. He was having trouble standing up, his mouth was parched, and his eyes were itchy, his vision blurry. Bog made his way to the door of his room, which slid open at his approach, and he looked out into the hall, his eyes widening. To his left, everything was on fire. The smoke that billowed down the hall toward him was an oily, evil black. 

Bog stumbled out of his room and headed toward the bow of his ship. He was still burning with fever, and the smoke was making breathing difficult. He had to stop as a coughing fit shook his entire body, draining him of what precious little strength he had left. He looked down to see blood on his hand, more blood than before… 

He was going to die, there was no doubt in his mind that he was dead, but he wasn't going to let B8 die on this ship too. One of them was getting off. 

Bog kept moving. Between the fire and his fever, sweat kept dripping into his eyes, leaving him near-blinded, his eyes stinging. The smoke behind him was becoming darker and thicker, but he kept fighting to move forward. The fire was slowly consuming everything behind him, the fire suppression systems having obviously failed. Fires were always bad, and ship fires were the worst--he supposed that the reduced oxygen levels were the only reason he wasn’t already burned up. He tried to call out for the robot. Several times he opened his mouth to call for B8, but each time Bog was overwhelmed with coughing which took every bit of energy he had. Breathing was becoming next to impossible. He was not even halfway to the cockpit when another coughing fit overwhelmed Bog, but this time his legs finally gave out and he collapsed to the floor. 

He tried to pull himself up, but his strength was gone. It was all he could do to drag himself along and he was barely doing that. He continued to push himself, to move inch by inch, looking back at the fire that felt as if it were chasing him. Burning to death was not the way he wanted to go, one of the worst possible ways to die. He would rather be sucked out into space he thought grimly. That would result in quick unconsciousness and asphyxiation--much more peaceful than being burned to death. 

Bog groaned with effort, but he couldn’t move any farther. He had run out of time, out of reserves of strength… 

This was it. 

Bog thought of his mother, alone now… 

Then he thought of Marianne, her bright beautiful eyes, her sincere, tender heart, how the universe in its infinite beauty and cruelty had finally found someone to love and who loved him in return only to kill him, somewhere in space where the chances of his body being found were annoyingly, infinitesimally small. 

Bog rolled himself onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, watching the black smoke roll across the ceiling. He felt hands grabbed his shoulders and lift him. Bog grunted in pain as he was thrown over B8’s shoulder like a sack of cargo. 

Bog coughed, his voice rough as he tried to make himself heard over the sound of the alarms. “B8! Wh-what happened?” Another blood flecked cough, although weaker than before, as if even his sickness were giving up, dying with him. 

B8 was running down the hall, trying to out distance the fire. “We were hit by several asteroids, the ship drifted into an asteroid field. I am not sure what was hit, but we are on fire.” 

Bog grunted as he was jostled around. “I see that. Is--is the booster ready?” 

“No,” B8 said softly as he ran toward the pods. 

* 

B8 arrived at the escape pod. The door was hanging open with wires and parts strewn all over the deck. B8 gently placed Bog inside before turning to gather the parts that were scattered on the floor, but the moment the robot turned there was a loud explosion that knocked B8 backwards into the pod and into Bog. The hatch was thrown shut at the same time. 

B8 scrambled to its feet and headed to the door looking out of the door porthole. Even from where he was barely sitting up, Bog could see that whatever had exploded had filled the hall outside with flames. Anything that was out there was now melted slag. 

B8 turned to look at Bog. “We must go.” 

Bog nodded, tried to pull the restraints up, but he was just too weak. B8 hurried over and strapped Bog in with mechanical efficiency. The robot stopped to look at him. “We have no supplies.” 

Bog’s lips curled into a weak smile. “Well, I would rather die this way than burn to death.” 

B8 nodded and turned around slamming a metal hand against the launch button… 

But nothing happened. 

“Shit, what the fuck did I do to make the universe hate me?” Bog asked, but B8 had pulled the console cover away and began working. Bog watched the robot’s fingers move swiftly. The fire outside in the ship’s corridor now burned bright enough that the window to the escape pod looked like an angry orange portal to hell. Bog closed his eyes and sent a prayer to Marianne. 

The escape pod lurched. 

Bog’s eyes flew open as the escape pod was jettisoned from the Wyvern, which exploded in an impressive display of fireworks. 

Bog’s heart sank. Watching his ship die was like watching part of him die. He frowned, tears stinging his eyes. There was nothing left of him now. His ship was gone and soon he would be too...only a memory. 

Bog collapsed back against the wall as B8 came over to sit down next to him. The robot’s one red eyes focused and unfocused on Bog. “I have no supplies or medicine in here for you and I was unable to finish work on the booster.” 

Bog shook his head, smiling weakly. “You tried, that was more than I could have hoped for. Thanks buddy.” 

B8 tilted its head gazing at Bog. “Thank you...buddy.” It said the word awkwardly, but there was warmth in the robot’s mechanical voice. 

Bog sighed, smiling a little at the robot until he couldn’t stay alert any longer. His eyes drifted shut, unconsciousness pulling Bog down into it’s dark depths. 

* 

The escape pods were simple, built to hold no more than two people. They had no navigation system, no way to steer them beyond a few seconds of attitude control. They were simply meant to get a person off a ship and to stay alive, with supplies--when stocked--for three weeks. In Bog’s current state, desperately ill, without food or water, he had two days, maybe less. 

Bog became conscious again with no idea how long he head been out. He was too weak to move, only able to roll his head to the side, but when he did he saw B8 crouched down by the launch console. The robot had gutted the entire thing. It had wires pulled out everywhere like the intestines of a mechanical creature and was carefully soldering wires together with what looked to be a built in tool from B8’s chest. 

Bog groaned trying to push himself up better. The only reason he hadn’t fallen completely over on his side was that he was strapped into his seat. He struggled to lift his head. 

“What are you doing?” he asked weakly. 

B8’s red eye focused and unfocused before he spoke. “I believe I can establish communications with Marianne. There will be no visual and you would not be able to hear her, but there would be audio. She could hear you.” 

Bog smiled at the robot with a heavy, sodden breath. “Really?” 

B8 nodded. “Really.” 

Bog’s smiled was weak and sad. “I’ll be able to say goodbye.” 

B8 made no comment on this as it continued to work. 

* 

Marianne moved about her temporary home like a zombie. She was numb as she performed her daily tasks without really paying attention to what it was she was doing. Eating, drinking, bathing, doing her paperwork, checking on her instruments, all of it was done on automatic without her participating in the activities mentally, because participating, being aware of what she was doing, would force her to be aware of Bog, of what she had seen and that she hadn’t heard from him when she was scheduled for the following day. The worst had happened and she wasn’t ready to let herself deal with her loss any more than necessary. 

She was sitting down at her desk, punching in information on her computer without really reading the information, when her computer chimed softly. 

There was an incoming message. 

Marianne’s heart ached. The pain nearly took her breath away when she saw the red dot in the corner indicating a message. Was it Bog? She hoped, she hated to hope, but the feeling welled up painfully in her chest, and her eyes immediately stung with unshed tears. 

She reached out, her fingers shaking as she gently touched to screen. 

There was no visual. She heard the sound of movement, shuffling maybe, she couldn’t be sure, but there was breathing, heavy and labored, followed a couple of seconds later by Bog’s voice cracked and weak. But it was him. 

“Marianne, can you hear me? How are you doing? Are you all right?” 

Marianne’s gasped, her voice broke as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Bog? Bog…Oh Bog...what happened? Are you all right?” 

Bog’s voice was so faint she could barely hear him. “I’m sorry...I passed out. I’m all right...relatively.” 

Marianne swallowed, her hand against the screen as if she could touch Bog through it with her will alone. “Why can’t I see you?” 

Bog’s response was so low she almost didn’t hear him; his voice kept cutting out. She wasn’t sure if it was the connection or if Bog was just so weak he couldn’t speak. “The ship drifted into an asteroid belt...didn’t make it...fire...B8...exploded...in an escape pod.” 

“An escape pod?” Marianne practically had her nose pressed against the screen of her computer. “Bog…” 

Bog’s voice came back and he sounded weaker. She was almost blinded by her tears as he whispered. “I wanted...goodbye…B8...able...connect...so I could say...” 

“Bog no…” Marianne pleaded, but he continued. “I love you, I wanted to...I love you...please don’t be sad…wish I could...see you...real...” 

Marianne was crying, her head pressed against the computer while he spoke. “The time I got to...with you...was a life tim...you are a beautiful woman inside...out...I was lucky to have met you...I wouldn’t trade...I want you to be happy...that’s all I...you..my light...I’m so happy...I want you...happiness….” 

Marianne was sobbing. “Bog I love you, please...please don’t give up.” She realized that Bog was sending her a message, but he couldn’t hear her responses. It had to be a one way only communication, a way for him to say goodbye to her, but she couldn’t even send him any comfort, not even the sound of her voice. She sobbed uncontrollably, her hands on her computer, her forehead against the screen, her wings fluttering and twitching uselessly. She couldn’t even fly to save him. All she could do was listen to his last words. 

Bog’s voice was faint. “I’ll love you always Marianne…” 

“Bog, I love you,” Marianne whispered back, her voice breaking with her tears, and then he was gone. Marianne didn’t move. She held the computer, her last link to the man she had fallen in love with, now silent. 

* 

Bog slumped against the side of the pod. “You think she got it?” he asked B8. 

The robot looked up at him, somehow looking mournful despite its lack of facial expression and only having one eye. “Yes, I think she did.” 

Bog smiled sadly. “I hope so. I wanted her to know…” 

Bog slid to the floor, his breath wheezing and difficult. “I guess this is it…” 

B8 tilted its head. “Bog, friend, I have one more thing that I could try.” 

Bog’s eyes had drifted closed, but he opened one of his blue eyes a crack. “What’s that B8?” 

B8 reached down and ran the tip of it’s fingers along its humanoid metal chest. A seam appeared that made Bog frown in confusion, not sure if he was really seeing it or just delirious again, but B8 hooked it's fingers around the seam and pulled, opening a door in its chest. The whole thing would have freaked Bog out a bit if he had been more aware, because the inside of B8’s chest looked like a mechanical version of a human chest right down to the glowing, red, beating heart in the middle. 

B8 looked up from its chest, its one red eye meeting Bog’s blue ones. “I could use my core, connect it to the pod. It would give the pod a boost, enough to get us the distance we need go, maybe even break through the atmosphere.” 

Bog stared at B8’s beating heart, but he shook his head. “I’m sick B8, I’m dying…” 

“You are alive Bog, you can still live. I want you to live. You are my friend,” B8 said softly, its robotic voice filled with genuine emotion. 

Bog reached out with a trembling hand and brushed his fingers against B8’s heart. “And I want you to live. There is so much for you to experience now that you’re free B8…” Bog’s eyes began to slide closed again. “If you get to see Marianne, tell her…” Bog didn’t finish what he wanted to say before his eyes slid closed and he slumped to the side. 

B8 reached out, laying fingers against the side of Bog’s throat. The human’s heart still beat. B8 touched Bog’s sweat slicked hair. “I can do this. I will do this, for my...friend…”


	4. Coming Home

A monitor somewhere in the room began to beep softly. 

Marianne’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t move right away. Her head ached, her limbs ached, her back, and even her wings ached. Yet somehow she also felt numb, as if she wasn’t really in her body at the moment, and at the same time she felt every ache. She was suspended in a strange inbetween space. 

Still, she didn’t move. 

Her eyes felt grainy and her mouth was dry and sticky. She licked her lips without opening her eyes. She knew, without trying, that moving was going to hurt. She had fallen asleep bent over her desk, her arms around her computer, her wings draped over her like a blanket. Her back was screaming at her that this had been a bad position to sleep in, but she didn’t care. 

She didn’t want to move or open her eyes, because doing so would mean she would be forced to acknowledge that Bog was gone, that he was dead and there was nothing she could do to change that. Opening her eyes and waking up would acknowledge that Bog wasn’t part of her world any longer and she desperately didn’t want to accept that fact. 

Marianne squeezed her eyes tighter, desperately trying to chase sleep once more, to lose herself in unconsciousness, in the darkness of slumber… 

The beeping on the monitor continued, nagging at her to sit up. 

Marianne sniffed, rubbing both her hands down her face as she slowly sat up. She was numb, all the aches and pains that she felt from her strange sleeping position were there, she was aware of her muscles yelling at her to stretch and move. She supposed the only reason she was allowing herself to acknowledge them was because the aches and pains didn't matter, nothing mattered, nothing else in the world mattered because Bog was gone. 

She stood up, her wings falling limp behind her and walked over to the monitor, only then realizing that it wasn’t one of her monitors that was going off, but rather her personal communicator. 

She stared down at it, not really comprehending the device because her mind refused to focus on anything but her loss. 

The communicator was a small, black device, long and slender with multicolored lights, that fit perfectly in her hand. A series of blue lights danced across the device. Marianne stared at it in confusion for a few seconds, not understanding what the lights meant, but after another beat she realized the lights meant an incoming message. That meant the storm must be winding down or at least cleared enough to allow a local signal through… 

Marianne felt suddenly sick. Bog was dead and only now did the storm ease enough that she could have sent a message out. She could have told someone he was out there, alone, lost. 

Marianne’s bottom lip trembled, fresh tears rolled slowly down her cheeks. She had thought herself cried empty of tears, but they came regardless of what she thought. 

Marianne reached out and touched one of the colorful buttons on the device. There was a moment of static before she heard her sister’s voice come through the device; it was faint, laced with static, but it was there. 

“Marianne? Marianne can you hear me? I’ve been trying to reach you for weeks! Marianne! Pick up!!” Dawn’s sweet voice was filled with worry even through the static. “Marianne please pick up…” 

Marianne picked the communicator up. “Dawn? I read you.” 

“Oh thank goodness!! I’ve been worried sick!” The cheerfulness of Dawn’s voice communicated through the device despite the static and the weak signal. Marianne frowned. Why was she so cheerful, didn’t Dawn understand what she had lost? It took Marianne a moment to realize that of course her sister didn’t know, no one else knew. 

Marianne slowly sank to the floor, her knees weak while Dawn continued talking cheerfully, unaware of her sister’s state. 

“This storm was a doozy! Sunny says the storm just broke the record for the longest one on this planet and it’s still going!! Though the scientists on our end seem to think that the worst has passed. I tried to contact you over the last few days, but we haven’t been able to get through. I was just so worried about you, but Sunny said you would be fine. He said that the research facilities are made to withstand nearly anything, then of course with the force field, Sunny seemed to think nothing would happen, but you know me. I worry all the time about you out there all by yourself…” 

Dawn rattled on, then stopped mid-sentence realizing that her sister hadn’t tried to respond to her, not once. “...Marianne?” Dawn’s voice was filled with concern. “Everything all right? Are you hurt?” 

“Dawn…” Marianne tried to speak, but after saying her sister’s name, she broken down into loud heart wrenching sobs of grief. How could life simply carry on now that Bog was no longer in it? Marianne felt as if her heart was being gnawed from her chest. Her body felt weak and hopelessness consumed her. How could she go on? 

Marianne could hear her sister on the other end of the line asking questions, but Marianne couldn’t understand them. She heard them, but her ability to respond was gone. 

Dawn stopped asking question and turned to trying to soothe her sister. She didn’t know what had happened to her big sister, but whatever it was, Marianne needed her and Dawn would do her best to help. “Marianne, it’s okay now. Whatever happened, it’s okay. Hold on a minute…” 

Marianne could hear a muffled sounds through the communicator, faint sounds almost drowned out by the poor connection. Marianne wondered if she was talking to Sunny, but within seconds, 

Dawn’s voice returned. “Look, Sunny says the cutter ship shouldn’t have a problem getting to you with the storm at its current level. Sunny and I are coming out there to see you.” 

Marianne made a soft sounding grunt in response. She could hear the worry in her sister’s voice, but she just didn’t have it in her to calm Dawn’s fears. 

Dawn spoke slowly, sensing that her words weren’t quite getting through to Marianne. “The storm is still going pretty strong, so don’t go outside, but Sunny is positive the cutter ship would have no problem. I’ll be there in a few hours. You just sit tight, okay? I love you.” 

Marianne whispered back. “I love you too Dawn.” 

Dawn’s voice was soft. “You just wait for me okay. I’ll be there in no time.” 

“All right,” Marianne said softly before her sister disconnected. 

* 

Marianne set her communicator down on the floor next to her, took a few deep breaths, and stood up with effort. For a moment she simply stood staring at the floor, not sure what she should do. She felt so lost, so alone, the aching hole in her chest threatening to consume her. 

She glanced back over at her computer. Staring at the computer--her only link to Bog since she first saw and heard him--was almost like looking at Bog’s body. It was dark and dead; no red dot blinking to tell her of an incoming message. It had become a corpse… 

She squeezed her eyes shut, her eyes stinging with more tears that rolled down her cheeks before she turned and, like a mindless zombie, headed to her bed. She crawled onto the bed, gathered Imp to her chest, pulled the covers over her head and closed her eyes tightly, willing herself into the oblivion of sleep. 

* 

Dawn slid her communicator into the pocket of her jacket, rushing out of the room and heading toward the garage where the cutter ship was kept, alongside other vehicles that the science teams used to move around the planet. Once Dawn had said something was wrong with her sister, Sunny had told her immediately that they would go and check on her, assuring her the sleek cutter would make it through the storm at its current level. Dawn had given him a grateful look. He had simply smiled at her and had taken off to start prepping the ship. 

Dawn had never heard her sister like she had sounded on the communicator. She was scared for her sister, more scared than she wanted to admit. Marianne was always the stronger of the two of them, at least that was how Dawn always felt. Marianne could face any challenge, take on any task. Dawn had never seen her sister upset but once and that was when Roland had broken her heart, but even then Marianne had bounced back almost immediately, ready to take on the next challenge, ready to heal herself and face whatever life had to offer. 

But this… 

Dawn didn’t know what had happened, but Marianne sounded broken and lost. Dawn needed to get to her sister. 

The door to the garage and hangar slid open the moment Dawn arrived and she slipped inside. She could hear Sunny talking to someone as she walked around one of the ground trucks and headed over to the cutter. She walked around the elegant ship, designed to glide above the through the atmosphere, (the cutter, a blue and silver ship, was shaped like an arrowhead with a sharply pointed nose that flowed back to its swept back wings, making the ship look as if it would cut through the air, which it did) to see Sunny telling one of the mechanics to make sure the cutter was fueled and ready to go within the next twenty minutes. The young elfinian man had the same short pointed ears and dark skin as Sunny, but while his hair was short and black, Sunny’s hair was long and a light honey brown. Dawn knew for a fact that the other elfinian was Sunny’s second cousin, a young man named Moonshadow. Moonshadow nodded at Sunny, gave Dawn a quick smile, then hurried off. 

Dawn came up behind Sunny and laid her arms around his shoulders and placed her chin on top of his head. She closed her eyes and squeezed. The scent of wildberries and hydraulic fluid came off his skin and hair, relaxing her as she held onto him. 

Sunny grinned, glancing up even though he couldn’t see her. “How’s your sister?” he asked softly. 

Dawn didn’t move, her eyes still closed as she answered. “I’m scared Sunny. She doesn’t sound right. I’m really scared. She sounded...broken. Does that make sense?” 

Sunny shifted in her arms, turning around to face her. Dawn looked down at him. Other people always found their height difference amusing, but Sunny found it exhilirating, especially because Dawn could take him flying, something his people could never experience unless in a ship, which didn’t hold a candle to being held by the woman you love while she soared up to the clouds. 

He frowned as he gazed at her face, into her soft blue eyes. She looked troubled, scared, which was an expression Dawn never exhibited. Dawn was always a bright ray of sunshine, always smiling, always happy to see him. Seeing the woman he loved worried and distraught hurt his heart. He reached up and cupped her face in his hands, gently tugging her down to him. Sunny kissed her softly on the lips, wishing he could chase her fear away with a kiss, but he could do the next best thing, he could get her out to her sister’s research station as quickly as possible. 

Dawn closed her eyes, opening her mouth against his lips. Sunny dropped his hands and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close against him. Dawn held onto him, returning his kiss until she felt her body relax. 

Sunny pulled away first, just enough to lay his forehead against hers. “Don’t worry, we’ll get out there as quickly as we can and you can take care of your sister. I’m sure it's nothing serious--maybe she’s just gotten lonely or maybe one of her experiments went sideways.” 

Dawn nodded. “Maybe you’re right.” She smiled kissing the tip of his nose. “Thank you Sunny.” 

Sunny grinned. “Go pack a bag and some supplies while I get the cutter ready to go. I’ll have you at Marianne’s side in the next four to five hours at the most, storm or no storm.” 

Dawn nodded again. “Thank you.” She kissed the tip of his nose one more time with a soft smile before she turned and left. 

Sunny watched her go with a frown, hoping he wasn’t wrong and that Marianne really was all right. 

* 

She floated naked in a starry sky. 

Part of her was aware that she was dreaming, but, as dreams were wont to do, Marianne quickly forgot about that and looked around. That was when she saw a shining spot far ahead of her. 

Marianne gracefully moved her wings and sent herself sailing through the starry sky toward the shining object… 

It was Bog, naked, curled in a fetal position, and floating in space. Marianne’s heart skipped a beat when she saw him, floating lazily in the starry sky. She moved quickly forward, reaching for him. 

“Bog! Bog wake up! It’s me, Marianne…” 

Bog’s eyes opened, showing the intense blue shade of his eyes. He didn’t move his head, but his eyes slid to the side to look at her. He opened his mouth.. 

But no sound came out. 

She reached for him, but his body began to spin away from her, while he continued to scream without sound. Marianne desperately tried to reach him, but he remained just out of her reach… 

Marianne screamed “NO!! BOG!! Don’t leave me…” 

Suddenly everything around her vanished and she was floating in a black void--no stars, no light, and no Bog. 

There was only an endless, consuming darkness that began to press down around her. 

Marianne began to sob, wrapping her wings around her as the cold darkness pressed in harder, forcing her to wrap her arms around her legs and her wings around her body as the inky blackness continued to crush in on her... 

* 

“Marianne?” She felt a hand on her shoulder. “Marianne wake up…” 

It was her sister’s voice. 

Marianne’s eyes flew open. She trembled, covered in a fine sheen of sweat. She had no idea how long she had been asleep--it felt like forever and only a few seconds all at the same time. 

Marianne shivered when she felt her sister reach over and lay the back of her hand against her forehead. 

“You’re not running a fever.” Dawn’s voice was soft with concern. “That’s good.” 

Marianne rolled over onto her back so she could see Dawn better. She squinted through her sore, swollen eyes, but after a few seconds her sister’s face came into view. Dawn was frowning. She looked a little pale and her light blue eyes were filled with concern, but she gave Marianne a smile. 

Marianne’s voice was low and rough, her throat sore and tight. “Dawn?” 

Dawn looked pretty in a fresh summer sunshine sort of way with her large, light blue eyes and short blonde hair that always looked as if it were caught in a gentle breeze. Her little sister’s wings were the color of summer flowers. Where Marianne’s wings were darker shades of purple with black, Dawn’s wings were a rosy pink with only hints of light purple and black. Marianne looked up into her sister’s bright smile which was usually infectious, but at the moment Marianne was immune to her sister’s dazzling smile. 

That smile fell away as Dawn took in her big sister’s state, noting the haunted look in Marianne’s eyes, which were swollen and bloodshot. Marianne’s skin looked pale and blotchy, as if she had ill… 

Dawn reached out to run her fingers over her sister’s sweaty forehead, pushing back the brown hair that had stuck there. “Marianne--what happened? Are you sick? Hurt?” 

Dawn sat down on the edge of the bed and Marianne slowly, with visible weakness in her limbs, pushed herself up onto her elbows. 

“Dawn…” Marianne began, then burst into tears. 

Dawn looked panicked, but she gathered her older sister into her arms and held her tightly. “It’s all right Marianne, it’s all right.” 

Marianne clung to Dawn sobbing into her shoulder. 

* 

An hour later Dawn was lying in the small bed beside her sister, both of them with mugs of hot tea in their hands, their wings wrapped around each other. Sunny was inspecting the place where the storm had torn into her greenhouse, giving the sisters time to talk. 

Dawn blew on her tea before she asked. “Are you ready to tell me what’s going on?” 

Marianne still looked terrible. Dawn could see a slight trembling in her sister’s hands, but she was sitting up and while her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, she hadn’t burst into tears for the last half-hour. 

Marianne took a deep breath. “I met someone.” 

Dawn frowned confused. “When? Out here? You didn’t say anything…” 

“It was the day the storm hit…” Marianne spoke into her tea, not trusting herself to look over at Dawn because she knew she would start crying again. She didn’t want to cry right now. Right now she wanted to share with her sister, she wanted to tell her about Bog, she needed someone else to know about the man she had fallen in love with because sharing would keep his memory alive. 

“I got this message on my computer…” Marianne began. “...a distress call…” 

* 

While Dawn took care of her sister, Sunny made a quick inspection of Marianne’s quarters just to make sure everything was in functioning order, which was how he discovered the issue with her greenhouse. He frowned, inspecting the damage. The emergency forcefield was working as it should and could probably last for weeks, but the structure would need to be repaired. Sunny frowned as he examined the damage; he was sure that he could fix it. It might take him a couple of hours, maybe a little longer, and he would have to wait until the storm passed, but he could get the supplies together and work on the prep so that when the storm broke he could get right to work. The structure should have extra supplies just for such damage, and it would give him something to do. He felt helpless, not really able to help Dawn with her sister, so he needed something to do, something to keep his hands and mind busy. 

He would need to make his way over to the supply shed that all of these dwellings came equipped with as part of their regular structure and set up design. The supply sheds were usually separate from the main buildings in order to cut down on power being supplied to those buildings. It was a short walk, but it was growing dark out and it wouldn’t do for him to wander out there in the dark with the storm when he wasn’t familiar with the lay of the land around here. Plus, who knew what might be lurking out there waiting to gobble up a small elfinian man who should be spending his time in the innards of a ship and not wandering about an alien landscape heading to a shed looking for extra building supplies. 

He frowned again examining the emergency forcefield. It would hold the wall, and in the light of day, he would make his way over to the supply shed, but that still left him with nothing to do. 

Maybe he could step outside, see just how bad the weather really was... 

* 

B8 looked down at Bog. He had moved the human into a more comfortable position in the seat, trying to support his head, but Bog still slumped to the side. B8 couldn’t be sure, but Bog looked uncomfortable, or he would be uncomfortable if he were conscious. 

Bog had stopped moving several minutes ago. There was fresh blood on his pale lips along with dried blood at the corners of his mouth. Bog had almost no color, his skin had taken on a see-through quality in places. B8 could see many of the systems that carried blood through the human’s body. B8 felt something odd, a stirring in him that made him...he quickly looked through his knowledge systems to find the correct terminology for what he was feeling...nervousness and fear. B8 was scared for Bog. He did not want to lose his first friend. 

B8 watched Bog for a long time. He could detect that Bog was still breathing, though it was shallow. He didn’t have much time to save his friend. B8 found that feeling fear and nervousness made focusing on his work difficult. He wanted to focus all his attention on Bog, but he forced himself to work. He had to if he wanted to save his friend. 

The pod was hurtling through the asteroid field, occasionally bumping into a rock or being hit with a rock, he couldn’t be sure. All he knew was that he needed to stabilize the escape pod’s course, he needed to steer them out of the field and toward the planet that he was sure was on the other side of the field… 

B8 worked quickly, hooking himself to the escape pod’s mainframe, hooking his heart and his systems to the pod, making the pod an extension of himself. He wasn’t sure it would work and he wasn’t sure if he would survive, but he had to save his friend. 

The unit was simple. There was no navigation system and the boosters were lackluster. The pod was designed with minimal systems, except to keep whoever was inside alive long enough for help to find them, which given their situation, was not going to happen unless B8 made it happen. 

Hooking himself up to the pod’s simplistic mainframe felt odd, once he was done. He felt a drain on his systems, it wasn’t a heavy draw, but that would soon change. It was strange, he could feel the pod like an extra limb. B8’s metal fingers moved swiftly over the sole keyboard of the pod, linked up his navigation system as well as his consciousness to the pod, gaining control and stabilizing it, in essence turning the pod into a miniature ship that he could steer with limited success. He had to be careful, however; the attitude jets had only so much fuel. 

For the next fifteen minutes B8 focused on steering the pod through the field. It was difficult, the pod cumbersome, but, with only a few minor incidents, B8 was nearly through the field. His navigation systems told him that there should be a planet on the other side, and not just any planet, but Marianne’s planet. He may not trust the pod, but he trusted his own knowledge and skills. B8 allowed himself a moment of happiness, thinking that he was going to save Bog, when he was caught off guard by an asteroid slamming into the side of the pod. B8 felt the impact as part of himself as well as the pod. 

The escape pod hurtled to port, spinning out of control. B8 struggled with it, but he ultimately lost control for a few seconds. He engaged the boosters for a moment, which drew directly from his core, draining him quickly while he tried to set the pod straight when there was an explosion on the outside of the pod. B8 jerked in pain, but the pod broke free of the asteroid belt at the same time. 

B8 struggled to force the pod in the direction he wanted, another few million miles… 

B8’s heart, his core lurched, but he forced all of his power into the pod’s booster, hurtling them toward the planet...at least he hoped. If he failed, both he and Bog were dead. 

* 

Dawn sniffed, wiping her eyes with the heels of her hands. “Oh Marianne, are you sure he died?” 

Marianne nodded. “I don’t see how he could have survived in an escape pod, lost...sick...his last message…” Marianne closed her eyes and pressed her lips together, trying not to cry, but it was difficult. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks despite her best efforts. She felt so hollow and yet so full of pain. She wanted to cry, to scream, to curl in on herself and erase her thoughts…She knew of chemicals and plants that could erase memories... 

Dawn sighed followed by a whisper. “Maybe we can still locate his escape pod...at least bring him home.” She swallowed, not wanting to voice that they could bring his body home. “The storm is still going pretty badly out there, I was just barely able to reach you on my communicator, and that was after a few tries, but I did reach you. So maybe…” 

Marianne sniffed glancing at Dawn. She knew what her sister was saying without Dawn actually saying the words, to bring Bog’s body in, to give him a burial, to contact his mother. She knew with acute pain what was unspoken. 

She broke again. The sobs came again, harsh and heavy. Dawn quickly gathered her sister into her arms, stroking her hair and back. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m sorry Marianne…” 

* 

Sunny stepped outside, his goggles and breathing mask in place. He felt restless. He could hear Marianne crying in the next room though he still had no idea what had happened to her. He decided to just step out, just to see how bad it was, and he needed the fresh air--so to speak. Marianne’s place felt heavy, stifling. He had just checked the interior temperature controls, but everything was working as it was supposed to, nothing was amiss, but the sensation persisted, which was why he had stepped outside. 

Now that he was outside though, that feeling of heaviness was replaced by a feeling of exposure. It was cold with the rain and wind, but the darkness was what made him uncomfortable. It was all consuming out here, with very little light coming from the structure that Marianne lived in and no ambient light coming from a city or town nearby. Sunny had always known that Marianne, and several other scientists on the planet that lived and worked in these little research units were isolated from the main research center, but he never fully appreciated just how alone they really were until this moment. 

The storm seemed to have eased up when he stepped out. The wind was still howling pretty strongly, but he didn’t feel like he would be knocked over at any moment and occasionally he could see some stars in the sky. He was looking up when he saw something enter the atmosphere. 

Sunny watched in stunned silence as something large streaked across the sky, burning brightly, then seemed to change course. His eyebrows lifted in surprise--the light moved deliberately. Then whatever it was flared for a moment as it arced down toward the planet, burning so bright that Sunny had to shield his goggled eyes and turn away. He heard the sound, a high pitched whine of something passing close and then whatever it was hit the ground. 

A sonic boom threw Sunny backwards, his body slamming against the door… 

* 

Dawn frowned, hearing something strange outside, like a whine maybe, she wasn’t sure, but before she could comment on the sound there was a booming sound and a wave that threw Dawn and Marianne off the bed. Both sisters hit the floor with Marianne landing on top of Dawn. 

They both laid on the floor unmoving for a few seconds. Marianne’s wings had flopped over both of them leaving them under a shelter of velvet and purple. 

Dawn moved first, shoving Marianne off of her gasping for air. “Damn Marianne, you’re heavy!” 

Marianne pushed herself up, ignoring her sister. “What was that?” 

A few seconds later Sunny burst into the room. He didn’t see either sister as he yelled. “Dawn?! Marianne?!” 

Dawn raised a hand, shaking it around. Sunny saw Dawn’s hand pop up from the other side of the bed. “Here! We’re both okay, but what was that?!” Dawn got to her feet, holding her hand out to her sister. Marianne took Dawn’s hand, rising to her feet and looking dazed. 

Sunny shook his head. “I don’t know. I stepped outside for some fresh air…” 

Dawn started to open her mouth, but Sunny held up his hand. “I know it was stupid with the storm and all, but I just needed some air. Anyway, I saw something streak across the sky, there was a burst of light, then I think it crashed.” 

“A meteor?” Dawn asked, but Sunny shook his head. “I don’t think so. I watched it change directions. I think it might be a small ship or an escape pod…” 

Dawn made a small gasping sound which she muffled with her hands over her mouth. 

Marianne looked confused at Sunny. “It changed course?” 

Sunny nodded. “Yeah, it moved like it was being directed, not randomly. I would swear by it. Think we should go check it out?” He looked between the sisters. 

Marianne glanced over at her sister. For the first time since Dawn had arrived she saw something in her big sister’s brown eyes that looked like hope. Marianne didn’t voice that hope, Dawn could sense she was afraid to, but the hope was there in her eyes just the same. 

Dawn bit her bottom lip, gazing at her sister. She didn’t want to see her big sister devastated, but the chances whatever it was that had just hit the planet being her Bog were slim (probably impossible, she thought), yet stranger things had happened in the vastness of space. She only thought about it briefly before she turned to Sunny. “You think you know where it landed? Could you find it?” 

Sunny nodded. “I don’t know for sure where it landed, but I have a pretty good idea which way it went.” Marianne and Dawn watched as Sunny looked at some internal map in his head before he murmured. “There’s a lake a couple of miles that way, I’m thinking that was where it hit.” 

Marianne spoke, her voice just barely above a whisper. “Lake Cerise…” 

Dawn and Sunny both looked at her and Marianne blushed. “I know on the official maps it’s named after some general or other, but I’ve always called it Lake Cerise because of its pinkish color.” 

“We should go,” Dawn said reaching for her sister’s hand. Marianne took Dawn’s hand, her own trembling, hope glistening in her eyes like unshed tears. It hurt Dawn to see her sister so broken and yet so hopeful. She prayed that that hope wasn’t about to be destroyed. 

Sunny looked at both sisters then smiled. “Okay, let’s go.” 

* 

The ride in the cutter to the impact site was bumpy, though the inside, designed to hold up to five people, was comfortable, with soundproof walls, the latest technogear, all the bells and whistles as Marianne’s father liked to say, one of his favorite human phrases. 

The storm had decided that now was a good time to pick back up again, the rain coming down in sheets, as if it were a sentient being that knew they were on a mission and wanted to make their ride as difficult as possible. Visibility was low because of the storm, which was also interfering with the ship’s radar systems. The darkness, now that they had moved away from Marianne’s complex, was even more thick and lightless than before; it was as if all of these elements were slowing them down on purpose. Marianne sat strapped into her seat behind Sunny, her hands clutched in her lap, her knuckles white as she stared straight ahead. Dawn sat beside Sunny, occasionally looking back at her sister, or sneaking a glance with Sunny. 

Sunny had his focus on the path ahead. He was having to use his own best guesses for their direction, but he had flown in worse. He trusted his sense of direction better than the ship’s radar anyway. 

Between Sunny’s intuition and the ship’s spotty radar, they arrived at the lake within ten minutes of leaving Marianne’s compound. 

When they arrived though, the lake was in complete darkness, the only light coming from the cutter ship’s exterior flood lights. 

Marianne leaned forward between Sunny’s and Dawn’s seats, looking out of the transparent metal viewport and the complete darkness. “I don’t see anything…” 

Sunny frowned. All was quiet except for the ship’s engines that hummed softly. “Well, with the rain and wind, any fire could have been put out and if there were any exterior lights on a ship or escape pod, they could have been destroyed on impact.” 

Dawn moved from her seat, making her way to the back of the ship. Marianne could hear her sister rummaging around in the back of the ship while Marianne and Sunny continued to look out into the darkness. 

Dawn was muttering to herself. “I have some lights back here somewhere...Ha! Found them!!” Marianne turned to see her sister holding up two flashlights, the large industrial kind that were usually used for cave exploration. 

Dawn grinned at Marianne. “I have four of them!” 

Sunny turned around and smiled. “Well, let’s get suited up and get out there and see what we can find.” Sunny started to stand, then stopped, glancing across the cabin to Dawn. “Make sure we are all armed…” He looked between the sisters. “Just to be safe.” 

* 

Splitting up would have allowed them to cover more ground, but they acknowledged that it would also be foolish. The three of them stayed together as they searched, but it was Dawn who found the escape pod. 

“Over here!!” she called out, her voice muffled by her breathing mask as her light danced over the blackened surface of a ovalish-shaped pod of yellow and blue. 

Marianne’s heart began to beat harder, hammering against her breastbone painfully. She was doing her best not to be hopeful. Even if it was Bog’s escape pod, the chances that he had survived were slim...but she couldn’t keep hope from welling up. 

The pod had landed dangerously close to the shore. A few dozen feet another way the pod would have impacted with the hard ground but it was just off shore enough that the pod was floating in the water. Marianne thought it must have landed farther out in the lake and floated nearer the shore. 

Sunny moved his beam of light around it, then stopped at the top. “Doesn’t look like the hatch opened when they hit like it should have. Usually the hatch to an escape pod bursts open after landing…” He frowned, moving his beam over the escape pod. “There, that’s the latch I think.” He frowned, studying it for a few seconds, both women watching him intently when he said. “I can swim over there, climb up and open the hatch…” 

Marianne shook her head. “I’ll do it. Besides, I can fly over.” 

Sunny didn’t look happy about Marianne going instead of him, but she was correct, she could fly over, which would be faster. “We’ll hold the lights on the pod for you. There should be a mechanism by the door, a handle or something similar that will allow you to open it manually, but be careful--it might burst open when you touch it.” 

Marianne nodded her understanding. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. I’ll take to the air if anything looks dangerous.” 

Dawn frowned. “Just be careful Marianne.” 

Marianne hooked her light to the belt of her suit and nodded. “I will.” 

She didn’t wait. She gave her wings a quick flutter before she leapt into the air. She flew around for a couple of seconds, getting her blood pumping before she glided over the water and landed lightly on top of the pod by the hatch. Dawn and Sunny held their beams steady, providing additional light for Marianne to see by. She could make out the outline of a door and saw a small window. 

She tried to peer inside, but she couldn't see anything, the window was cloudy with perspiration. 

Sunny called out. “Look for a latch, it should be brightly colored!” 

Marianne looked around, and soon found the latch, painted a bright yellow. She wrapped her hands around it and pulled; the door popped open an inch. Her heart was beating so loud in her chest that she couldn’t hear Sunny and Dawn on the shore. They were saying something to her, but their voices sounded so far away. 

Marianne pulled the door aside and peered inside. 

Her heart stopped, her breath caught in her chest. Marianne let out a sobbing gasp. 

Strapped in the seat across from the hatch was Bog. 

* 

Marianne lay in the back of the ship with Bog. He was lying on his back and his breathing was so shallow it was hard to tell he was breathing at all, especially since she had taken her breathing mask to put over his face when she pulled him out of the ship. Marianne’s own lungs burned with each breath, but she would heal. Bog needed it more than she did. 

Dawn kept looking back at her sister and the human. He looked dead to her. His skin was white with sallow patches, his lips grey, the only color on them the flecks of dry blood, and his eyes were sunken. Her eyes moved from the dying human to the upper torso of the robot that had been in the escape pod with them. 

When Marianne had mentioned the robot, Sunny had made a sound of excitement. Dawn had flown over and did her best to disconnect the robot from the escape pod, pulling it free from its legs because she couldn’t carry the entire thing, and flying it over to Sunny, who had excitedly exclaimed over it. She wasn’t sure if the robot was functioning, but Sunny seemed confident that it was alive and he could restore it. 

Sunny was focused on flying the ship back to Marianne’s compound where they had medical supplies. The cutter ship had a basic first aid kit, but the human was going to need more than that--much more. They had only an hour, probably less, to save his life, Dawn and Marianne had determined. 

When the arrived at the compound Marianne flew out of the ship with Bog, limp and lifeless in her arms, at a breakneck speed. She waited with building frustration to get through the decontamination, her entire body shivering and shaking, her heartbeat filling her ears while she held Bog in her arms. Once decontamination was done, she flew through her home, easing Bog into her bed before she hurriedly pulled out all the medical equipment and drugs she had. 

Dawn watched as her sister frantically found what she was looking for, a syringe kept in a special case, filled with an amber liquid. The liquid was filled with a system booster. It was dangerous, a last ditch solution for saving someone’s life. The drug was designed for their people, it was still dangerous to use because it gave a shock of antibiotics, stimulants, and other things in one harsh dose, to save one of their people’s lives. In theory it should work on a human too, but the chances were higher it would kill Bog rather than save him. 

But Dawn knew if Marianne didn’t try and use the booster on the human, Bog was going to be dead soon. Any chance was a chance and Dawn wasn’t going to take that from Marianne. She knew her sister had to try everything. She would do the same if it were Sunny lying there, dying with no other way to possibly save his life. 

Dawn sniffed, tears rolling down her eyes as her sister pulled Bog’s suit open, exposing his thin, pale chest. She rested the long, sharp needle against his chest, her thumb over the plunger. 

“Human’s hearts are in the same location as ours, right?” She turned finally acknowledging Dawn standing in the room, her brown eyes filled with panic and fear as she looked at her little sister for reassurance. 

Dawn nodded, though she had no idea if a human heart was in the same position, there was no time to look that information up. “Yes.” 

Marianne plunged the needle through his chest and into his heart, pushing down the plunger at the same time... 

* 

Bog’s eyes fluttered. 

He felt like he was floating, drifting away on a cool breeze. He opened his eyes slowly. The last thing he remembered was talking to Marianne, leaving her a message, telling her that he loved her just before he died. 

Was he dead then? 

He had no idea where he was, but death didn’t feel like he thought it would. He had often thought it would be a big nothing, zilch, like getting drawn into a black hole. He felt as if he was lying on a bed in a room filled with warm light and the soft scent of flowers and honey. He smiled. His brain was warm and fuzzy, his limbs felt heavy and light at the same time. It was so strange… 

He drifted off, his eyes closing slowly. 

When he opened his eyes again, Bog was able to focus a little better. He frowned after a few seconds, realizing that there was a weight next to him. He rolled his head over, which felt weirdly heavy and saw a head of brown hair resting on his shoulder. As his eyes focused more, he realized there was a woman next to him, her arm around his middle, one shapely leg wrapped around one of his and one of her purple wings was draped part way over both of them. The scent of wildflowers and honey was stronger now. He also realized he was naked, and so was she. He grinned stupidly--at least it felt stupid to him. 

If he was dead, this was heaven. 

He closed his eyes, relaxing, still smiling as he pulled the woman next to him closer with one frail arm as one name drifted softly through his mind like a song... 

Marianne... 

* 

When Bog woke again he felt more clear headed. 

He was in a bed, a blanket pulled up to his chest and the body next to him was still there, warm, while the scent of wildflowers and honey lingered. Bog lifted himself up a little, though it was difficult. He felt as weak as a new born baby, but reached up slowly with his free hand (the other pinned under the woman) and stroked her hair back. His hand began to tremble as he gazed at her sleeping face… 

It was Marianne. 

Bog swallowed, tears rolling down his cheeks. His voice was rough as he whispered. “Marianne…” 

Marianne stirred, her eyes fluttered open and she shifted to look up at him. Their eyes met and she smiled gazing into his blue eyes. 

“Bog….” 

Bog pushed himself up a little more before reaching weak, shaking fingers out to brush her cheek. “Marianne...am I...alive?” 

Marianne nodded. “Yes. B8 saved you, then I saved you.” 

Bog frowned. “B8? He’s alive?” 

Marianne smiled shifting up on her elbow. “Yes, Sunny was able to save him. If it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t be here.” 

Bog continued to touch her face. “Then you saved me?” 

Marianne nodded, her brown eyes clouding over for a moment when she whispered. “You were dying when I found you...but I saved you.” She sniffed, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. “I almost lost you.” 

Bog continued to gaze at her in awe, his fingers brushing lightly over her nose and across her lips. He could feel the softness of her naked body against his side. He had dreamed of this moment, but now that it was here and Marianne was beside him, he felt as if this was a dream that would be snatched away at any moment. He continued to shake while his fingers lightly danced over her face, his eyes wide with amazement. 

“Are you sure this isn’t a dream?” he asked in a whispered voice. “Because it’s a really beautiful dream.” 

Marianne smiled, her own tears of happiness falling gently down her cheeks. “Yes Bog, this is a dream, but it’s also real. I’m here, you’re here…” 

Bog kissed her. 

Marianne made a soft sound of pleasure, moving herself over him, straddling him. Bog groaned gently, feeling the shift and caress of her silken skin against him as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him as he dropped back against the pillows. He opened his eyes a sliver, feeling a gentle breeze against his skin to see the brilliance of her wings opened over them while they kissed. 

They were moving as if in a gentle breeze and he had never in all the universe seen anything as beautiful as Marianne. 

Marianne pulled away to cup his face in her hands. “I love you,” she whispered. 

Bog smiled brushing his nose against hers. “I love you too Marianne.” 

Marianne deepened her kiss and soon Bog was lost in a very real dream, a dream of love, of happiness… 

A dream of coming home.


End file.
